The Prospective Association between Emotional Reactivity and Adolescent Suicidal Ideation

Emotional variability and late adolescent suicidal ideation: Buffering role of parent-youth connectedness

INTRODUCTION

Emotional variability has been identified as a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology. This study explored the cross-sectional and prospective associations between emotional variability and suicidal ideation and examined the moderating role of parent-adolescent connectedness.

METHODS

Participants included 108 Taiwanese late adolescents (Mage = 18.53, SDage = 0.39; 64% female) who completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) over 14 days, and baseline and follow-up assessments over 6 months.

RESULTS

Results indicated that while negative emotional (NE) and positive emotional (PE) variability were not associated with suicidal ideation at baseline, both predicted increased suicidal ideation 6 months later. Furthermore, parent-adolescent connectedness moderated the relationship between NE variability and suicidal ideation, with high connectedness mitigating the adverse effects of NE variability.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that emotional variability is a key predictor for the development of suicidal ideation and highlight the protective role of parent-adolescent connectedness. Interventions promoting family connectedness may be effective in reducing suicidal risk among emotionally variable youth.

Daily association between feeling needed and useful and adolescent emotional and social well-being: Differences by suicidal ideation

Prior research suggests that feeling needed and useful plays a central role in adolescent psychosocial development and well-being. However, little is known about whether feeling needed and useful benefits adolescents' well-being in daily life, especially for those with suicidal ideation. The current study examined the daily association between feeling needed and useful and emotional and social well-being in a daily diary sample of adolescents (N = 122; Mage = 12.64) with and without suicidal ideation. Results from multilevel modeling showed that on days when youth experienced higher levels of feeling needed and useful, they reported lower negative emotions, higher positive emotions, and increased family connectedness. Furthermore, significant moderation effects indicated that daily feelings of being needed and useful were associated with higher positive emotions and peer connectedness only for youth with suicidal ideation. The findings support the importance of feeling needed and useful in adolescent development and highlight its beneficial effects among adolescents at risk for suicide.

Sleep Duration and Quality in Adolescents: Associations With Suicidal Ideation

INTRODUCTION

Inadequate sleep duration and sleep-related problems are highly prevalent among adolescents and pose a significant health risk during a critical development stage. This study seeks to explore associations between sleep and suicidal ideation among adolescents.

METHODS

Cross-sectional questionnaire data from the baseline wave (2016-2018) of a cohort of 12- to 16-year-old Swedish adolescents (n = 4433, 50.39% girls) were analyzed. A split-sample approach was used for exploratory analyses and model selection. Logistic regression was used to estimate the associations between suicidal ideation and self-reported sleep parameters (weekday sleep duration, sleep quality), both adjusted and unadjusted for depression.

RESULTS

Adolescents with suicidal ideation slept on average 60 min less on weekdays and reported worse sleep quality compared to those without suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was significantly associated with weekday sleep duration (p = 0.0267) and self-perceived sleep quality (p = 0.0003). Associations remained after controlling for depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Sleep problems in adolescents are associated with suicidal ideation, beyond the effect of depression. Findings may have implications for screening and suicide prevention among clinical populations of adolescents, as well as for public health interventions aimed at promoting sleep and mental health in adolescents.

Adolescent Emotional Reactivity in Family and School Contexts: Prospective Links to Adolescent Psychopathology

Emotional reactivity has been linked to adolescent psychopathology and mental health problems. However, limited research has investigated the distinct associations between emotional reactivity in multiple interpersonal contexts and the development of adolescent psychopathology. The current study examined emotional reactivity to interparental conflict, parent-adolescent conflict, and school problems as predictors of adolescent internalizing problems, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms six months later. The sample included 139 adolescents (54% girls; Mage = 13.30, SDage = 0.73) and their parents who completed 10-day daily reports and 6-month follow-up assessments in Taiwan. Results showed that negative emotional reactivity to interparental conflict was associated with increased internalizing problems, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms, after controlling for emotional reactivity to parent-adolescent conflict and school problems, outcomes at baseline, mean negative emotions, and sex. Furthermore, the associations between both positive and negative emotional reactivity to interparental conflict and adolescent anxiety symptoms was stronger for girls than boys. Findings suggested that heightened emotional reactivity to interparental conflict is a risk factor for predicting adolescent psychopathology, especially for girls' anxiety symptoms. Results highlight the importance of emotional reactivity across multiple interpersonal contexts in adolescence.

Dynamic characteristics of parent-adolescent closeness: Predicting adolescent emotion dysregulation

Emotion dysregulation is linked to adolescent psychological problems. However, little is known about how lability in daily closeness of parent-adolescent dyads affects the development of emotion dysregulation. This study examined how closeness lability with parents was associated with emotion dysregulation 12 months later. The sample included 144 adolescents (M = 14.62, SD = 0.83) who participated in a baseline assessment, 21-day daily diaries, and a 12-month follow-up assessment. Parents and adolescents both reported adolescent emotion dysregulation at baseline and follow-up assessments, while adolescents reported daily parent-adolescent closeness. Results indicate that lability in father-adolescent closeness was associated with increased emotion dysregulation at 12 months reported by adolescents. However, lability in mother-adolescent closeness was not associated with adolescent emotion dysregulation. Moreover, when baseline father-adolescent closeness was high, greater lability in father-adolescent closeness was associated with decreased emotion dysregulation. Findings indicate that daily fluctuations in father-adolescent closeness are a key family characteristic that links to long-term adolescent emotion dysregulation.