Childhood trauma and suicidal ideation among Chinese female prisoners: The mediating roles of negative emotions and social support

Lifetime and Jail-Specific Suicidal Ideation: Prevalence and Correlates in a Sample of People in Jail in the United States

Despite high suicide mortality in U.S. jails, there is limited research into precursors for suicide in this population, such as suicidal ideation. The current study examined the prevalence and correlates of lifetime and jail-specific suicidal ideation among a sample of 196 individuals (137 men) in custody in a U.S. jail. Nearly half the sample had reported lifetime suicidal ideation (45%), whereas 30% had reported jail-specific suicidal ideation. Adjusted correlates of lifetime suicidal ideation included a history of mental illness (OR = 2.79) and drug use (OR = 2.70). Adjusted correlates of jail-specific suicidal ideation included a history of mental illness (OR = 2.74), drug use (OR = 3.16), and a dehumanizing custodial environment (OR = 3.74). Some theoretically and empirically relevant factors were not significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Both expected and unexpected findings are discussed within the context of suicide theory and research, and practical implications are explored.

Unveiling the Shadows: Childhood Traumas and the Dynamics of Seeking Psychological Help and Self-Stigmatization Among Prisoners

BACKGROUND

Compared with the general population, prison inmates show a higher prevalence of mental disorders, particularly among those with childhood traumas. Despite childhood traumas being robust indicators of poor mental health, there is limited research on their relationship with prisoners' attitudes toward seeking psychological help. This study investigates the impact of childhood traumas on prisoners' attitudes toward help-seeking and self-stigmatization.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, explanatory study was conducted with 250 persons in prison. Data were collected using a sociodemographic information form, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help Scale, and the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale. Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman correlation test and multiple linear regression analysis with SPSS Version 28.

RESULTS

A significant link was found between childhood traumas and self-stigmatization in seeking psychological help. Positive attitudes toward help-seeking were significantly associated with increased self-stigmatization. Childhood traumas were significantly related to single-parent families, conflicted intrafamilial relationships, entering prison at the age of 19 years or older, mental health issues, and behavioral disorders. Moreover, a meaningful association was observed between self-stigmatization in help-seeking and being from a single-parent family with a low socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, imprisoned persons with childhood traumas exhibit higher levels of self-stigmatization in seeking psychological help, contributing to negative attitudes. Recommendations for adequate access to mental health services in prisons include fostering a culture of psychological help, enhancing mental health literacy, providing trauma-informed care, and developing comprehensive strategies. In addition, the suggestion is made for the development of societal reintegration programs.

Childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation among Chinese adolescents: Moderated mediation effect of perceived social support and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies

BACKGROUND

Although previous studies have shown that childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for adolescent suicidal ideation, less is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this association.

OBJECTIVE

The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation among adolescents, as well as the mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (maladaptive CERSs) and the moderating role of perceived social support.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional design, 4005 adolescents (Mage = 14.24 years, SD = 1.53; 49.0 % males) completed self-report questionnaires regarding childhood maltreatment, maladaptive CERSs, perceived social support and suicidal ideation, along with their basic information.

RESULTS

After controlling for gender, family location, family structure, and depression, childhood maltreatment was positively related to adolescent suicidal ideation, and maladaptive CERSs were found to mediate this association. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that perceived social support buffered the associations between maladaptive CERSs and adolescent suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings assist in understanding the mechanisms of maladaptive CERSs and perceived social support in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation and can provide new perspectives for researchers designing interventions for suicidal ideation.

The relationship between nature exposure and depression among Chinese prisoners: a moderated mediation model

Aim

This study examined the association between self-reported nature exposure and depression among Chinese prisoners, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of meaning in life and callous-unemotional (CU) traits, respectively.

Background

Prisoners are more likely to experience depression than any other mental illness. Exposure to nature has been proposed as a highly cost-effective method of treating their depressive symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying the link between nature exposure and depression among prisoners needs further investigation, as the findings may provide new insights into how to address depression in incarcerated populations.

Method

Data were collected through a survey conducted in four prisons in southern China from April to May 2022. The participants were 574 prisoners who anonymously completed four questionnaires about nature exposure, meaning in life, depression, and CU traits.

Results

The results show that: (1) meaning in life significantly mediates the association between nature exposure and depression, and (2) CU traits moderate the connection between nature exposure and meaning in life.

Conclusion

The current study uncovered that prisoners who contact more with the natural environment have a higher meaning in life and lower depression, and individuals with higher CU traits can benefit more from nature exposure.

Validation and measurement invariance of the childhood trauma questionnaire short form among incarcerated men and women in Spain

BACKGROUND

Childhood trauma is highly prevalent among incarcerated individuals and contributes to a range of negative outcomes. Assessing traumatic childhood events in prison settings requires valid, reliable, and effective instruments.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS

This study evaluated the performance of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form (CTQ-SF), originally developed and validated in English, within a sample of incarcerated men and women (n = 1118 and n = 207, respectively) in six Spanish prisons.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the CTQ-SF had an acceptable fit in our sample. However, the internal consistency of the Physical Neglect subscale was found to be deficient (α = 0.57), especially among women (α = 0.43). This finding aligns with previous research across different contexts, which may signal weaknesses in the original construction of this subscale. The CTQ-SF demonstrated limited invariance between men and women, with only configural invariance being achieved, constraining the comparisons that can be made across sexes. In the absence of scalar invariance, comparisons of factor means to assess severity may be misleading, and caution is recommended when comparing prevalence estimates for men and women in Spanish prisons. Nonetheless, our findings support the convergent validity of the CTQ-SF, as trauma severity showed moderate correlations with depression, anxiety, stress, and aggression.

CONCLUSIONS

These results underscore the importance of evaluating the performance of instruments across various cultural contexts and populations to ensure the validity of study conclusions.

The association between posttraumatic stress symptoms and suicidal ideations among Palestinians: The mediating role of spirituality, social support and mindfulness

The current study aimed to test whether social support, spirituality and mindfulness mediated the association between posttraumatic stress symptoms and suicidal ideation among Palestinians. The study sample consisted of 520 Palestinian adults selected using online tools. The findings of the study revealed that posttraumatic stress symptoms positively correlated with suicidal ideations (r = .32, p < .01), and negatively correlated with social support (r = -.34, p < .01), spirituality (r = -.16, p < .05) and mindfulness (r = -.72, p < .01), whereas suicidal ideations negatively correlated with social support (r = -.46, p < .01), spirituality(r = -.27, p < .01) and mindfulness (r = -.72, p < .01). Results of the path analysis showed that social support, spirituality and mindfulness mediated the association between posttraumatic stress symptoms and suicidal ideations. Developing intervention programs to enhance social support, mindfulness and spirituality to mitigate the effect of ongoing traumatic experiences among Palestinians is crucial to reducing suicidal ideations. Further studies are also recommended to investigate the role of potentially protective factors that may reduce suicidal ideations and appropriate techniques to deal effectively with traumatic and stressful events.

Changes in the comorbidity patterns of negative emotional symptoms and Internet addiction over time among the first-year senior high school students: A one-year longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

The comorbidity of psychiatric disorders and Internet addiction (IA) has been widely documented. However, changes and instability of the comorbidity between negative emotional symptoms and IA over time are not fully understood.

METHODS

A sample of 453 first-year senior high school students completed all measures three times across one-year period and were included in the current study. The sample consisted of 163 (36.0%) males and 290 (64.0%) females. At the baseline, the mean age of the participants was 15.07 ± 0.46 (range: 12-16) years old. Latent class analysis was used to identify the latent class pattern. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was utilized to examine the association between covariates and latent classes at baseline. Latent transition analysis was applied to explore the changes in latent classes of individuals over time.

RESULTS

Three subgroups of negative emotional symptoms, IA and their comorbidity were identified at all the three time points. Being Internet gamers, high average time of Internet use every day, peer exclusion, verbal and physical bullying experience, and poor self-rated health were found to be significant predictors of the high comorbidity symptom. Students were more likely to remain the same class rather than moving between the latent classes across time.

CONCLUSIONS

A better understanding of change characteristics in latent classes across time contributes to confirm an appropriate time for intervention targeted on students who converted from low symptom class to the high class.

The relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental health problems: coping strategies and social support act as mediators

BACKGROUND

Childhood maltreatment significantly increases the risk of developing mental health problems in adolescence and adulthood. The present study examines if coping strategies and social support mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental health problems.

METHODS

Data analyzed were from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey Mental Health (CCHS-MH, N = 25,113), a national population survey. A structured diagnostic interview, the World Health Organization version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WHO-CIDI), was used to assess mental health status. Multiple mediation analysis with structural equation modelling is used to test the mediating effects of coping skills and social support in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental health problems.

RESULTS

Our findings demonstrate that both coping strategies and social support mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and major depressive episode (mediation proportion: 18.3%), generalized anxiety disorder (mediation proportion: 19.8%), and suicide ideation (mediation proportion: 15.9%). By and large, the study results showed that coping skills and social support had both direct and indirect effects on the studied mental health problems with coping skills having a stronger impact.

CONCLUSIONS

Personal resources play an important resilience role in the associations between maltreatment and mental disorders with positive coping strategies, an internal resource, having a stronger protective presence. This research reinforces the need for strengthening positive coping strategies as well as social support as preventive strategies to improve mental health for individuals who have experienced childhood maltreatment.

Sleep problems and emotional dysregulation mediate the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and suicidal behaviors: A three-wave longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a major public health safety concern among youth. Childhood emotional abuse is one of the most widely recognized risk factors for suicidal behaviors. However, little is known about the role of sleep problems and emotion dysregulation in this relationship.

METHODS

This study is part of a large-scale health-related cohort among Chinese college students. A total of 7434 participants who completed the first three waves of data collection were used for data analysis. All participants completed questionnaires regarding childhood emotional abuse (Wave 1), sleep problems and emotional dysregulation (Wave 2), and suicidal behaviors (Wave 3). Mediation analyses with bootstrapping were conducted to investigate the mediating role of sleep problems and emotional dysregulation in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and suicidal behaviors.

RESULTS

The results showed that the prevalence of childhood emotional abuse and suicidal behaviors were 8.7% and 5.9%, respectively. Findings from mediation analysis showed that sleep problems and emotional dysregulation served both parallel and sequential mediating roles in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and suicidal behaviors.

LIMITATIONS

All measures were based on self-report instead of objective assessments or clinical diagnostic evaluations.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychological interventions aimed at developing healthy sleep habits and emotion regulation skills may be helpful in decreasing the risk of suicidal behaviors, especially for suicide ideators with childhood emotional abuse.