Physical activity, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and death among individuals with mental or other medical disorders: A systematic review of observational studies

A growing body of research has demonstrated the potential role for physical activity as an intervention across mental and other medical disorders. However, the association between physical activity and suicidal ideation, attempts, and deaths has not been systematically appraised in clinical samples. We conducted a PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for observational studies investigating the influence of physical activity on suicidal behavior up to December 6, 2023. Of 116 eligible full-text studies, seven (n = 141691) were included. Depression was the most frequently studied mental condition (43%, k = 3), followed by chronic pain as the most common other medical condition (29%, k = 2). Two case-control studies examined suicide attempts and found an association between physical activity and a reduced frequency of such attempts. However, in studies examining suicidal ideation (k = 3) or suicide deaths (k = 2), no consistent associations with physical activity were observed. Overall, our systematic review found that physical activity may be linked to a lower frequency of suicide attempts in non-prospective studies involving individuals with mental disorders

Are social innovation paradigms incommensurable?

This paper calls attention to the problematic use of the concept of social innovation which remains undefined despite its proliferation throughout academic and policy discourses. Extant research has thus far failed to capture the socio-political contentions which surround social innovation. This paper therefore draws upon the work of Thomas Kuhn and conducts a paradigmatic analysis of the field of social innovation which identifies two emerging schools: one technocratic, the other democratic. The paper identifies some of the key thinkers in each paradigm and explains how the struggle between these two paradigms reveals itself to be part of a broader conflict between neoliberalism and it opponents and concludes by arguing that future research focused upon local contextualised struggles will reveal which paradigm is in the ascendancy