Off track or on? Associations of positive and negative life events with the continuation versus cessation of repetitive adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury

OBJECTIVE

This study examined how patterns of repetitive (≥5 instances) nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) associate with measures of resilience and life events retrospectively reported to have occurred within the last year, 1 to <5 years ago, and 5 to <10 years ago.

METHOD

Life events reported by 557 young adults (mean [SD] age 25.3 [0.68]; 59.2% women) were classified as positive, negative, or profoundly negative based on their relationship to participants' mental health and well-being. We subsequently examined how these categories, together with resilience, were cross-sectionally associated with reporting no NSSI, and the (full/partial) cessation/continuation of repetitive NSSI from adolescence to young adulthood.

RESULTS

Repetitive NSSI in adolescence was associated with (profoundly) negative life events. Relative to cessation, NSSI continuation was significantly associated with more kinds of negative life events (odds ratio [OR] = 1.79) and fewer kinds of positive life events 1 to <5 years ago (OR = 0.65) and tended to be associated with lower resilience (b = -0.63, p = 0.056). Neither life events nor resilience significantly differentiated individuals reporting full or partial cessation.

CONCLUSION

Resilience appears important for the cessation of repetitive NSSI, but contextual factors must still be considered. Assessing positive life events in future studies holds promise.

A positive mental imagery intervention for targeting suicidal ideation in university students: A pilot study

Objectives

Suicide is a major public health concern and is now considered to be the leading cause of death in young people. Suicidal ideation within student populations has recently increased. The Broad‐Minded Affective Coping (BMAC) offers a brief psychological intervention targeting suicidal ideation by enabling access to competing positive emotions and thoughts using guided imagery. Its acceptability and feasibility in student populations are unclear.

Design

A single arm pilot study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of a six‐session BMAC intervention for university students experiencing suicidal ideation.

Method

Recruitment took place from university counselling services. Suicidal ideation and emotional states were assessed at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks. Participants also completed corresponding sessional measures.

Results

Twelve eligible participants consented to take part with 11 receiving the intervention. Ten participants completed post treatment and follow up assessments. Retention to treatment was high with participants attending an average of 5.2 (87%; SD = 1.54) out of six intervention sessions. There were also good completion rates of the BMAC technique between sessions. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the intervention. There was an associated reduction across a range of clinical outcomes, including suicidal ideation, with large effect sizes.

Discussion

This pilot study showed promising results on the feasibility and acceptability of the BMAC intervention in students experiencing suicidal ideation. However, the study had a small sample size and no comparator control group. Further exploration of the BMAC intervention is warranted.

Trait Gratitude and Suicidal Ideation and Behavior

Abstract. Background: Despite the progress of positive psychology, current knowledge regarding suicide protective factors is limited. Trait gratitude (a tendency to experience gratitude in daily life) may protect against suicidal ideation and behavior. Aims: The study tested a model of causal effects among gratitude, religiosity, reasons for living, coping, and social support as predictors of suicidal ideation, suicide threats, and suicide attempts after controlling for depression and stressful life events. Method: A sample of 165 college students were administered measures of gratitude, religiosity, reasons for living, social support, coping skills, stress, and depression. The study assessed lifetime and current suicidal ideation as well as lifetime suicide threat and attempt. Results: Both gratitude and religiosity, along with social support, coping skills, and reasons for living, correlated negatively with prior suicidal ideation, but not with prior attempted suicide. After controlling for risk factor (depression and stress), the impact of gratitude and religiosity was no longer statistically significant. Conclusion: Further research could help understand the role of positive emotions and human strengths, such as gratitude, in preventing and alleviating suicidal ideation and behavior.