“I had no safe space.” Painful childhood experiences in the lives of men who are suicidal: A qualitative thematic analysis

BACKGROUND: In almost every country, more men die by suicide than women. While early-life adversity is a well-established suicide risk factor, much existing research is derived from female-dominated samples and based on quantitative work. OBJECTIVE: This study addresses a critical gap in the literature by examining the relationship between childhood harms and long-term suicide risk in men. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 710 men worldwide who reported suicidal ideation or attempts in the past week or year. METHODS: Using a qualitative thematic analysis of open-text survey responses, participants described childhood experiences that negatively shaped their adult lives. RESULTS: Findings suggest that men experience a diverse range of childhood challenges including bullying, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, as well as underexplored challenges including isolation, neurodiversity, body-image, witnessing abuse, sibling abuse, and structural challenges such as community violence, poverty, and gender discrimination. We propose that these early-life experiences may similarly disrupt men's sense of psychological safety, leading to insecure attachments to self and others. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight overlooked forms of childhood adversity relevant to safeguarding boys and suggest the importance of early intervention and gender-sensitive approaches that attend to attachment processes and the impact of restrictive masculine norms.