Trajectory Analysis of Suicidal Ideation in Spanish College Students Using Ecological Momentary Assessment

Perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and hopelessness as predictors of future suicidal ideation in Spanish university students

The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) has received support for its role in understanding suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, few longitudinal studies have focused on testing this theory in university students. The present study aimed to confirm the theoretical model of the IPTS in a sample of 225 Spanish university students, using path analysis in a longitudinal study. We assessed thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness at T1 and hopelessness and suicidal ideation at T2, 12-14 weeks later. Moreover, we assessed suicidal ideation weekly for 14 weeks. Path analyses confirmed the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide model, with thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness as direct and indirect predictors of suicidal ideation through hopelessness. Providers of guidance and clinical services in university settings should be trained to identify perceived burdensomeness, social belongingness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation when screening for suicide prevention.

Meaning in life mediates the association between depressive symptoms and future frequency of suicidal ideation in Spanish university students: A longitudinal study

INTRODUCTION

There is a need for longitudinal studies that focus on protective factors against suicide in Spain. We analyzed the estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation in a sample of Spanish university students. Second, we explored the relationship between future suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation at T1, and meaning in life and its dimensions of meaning and purpose. Third, we analyzed the mediation role of meaning in life between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation evaluated with Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA).

METHOD

In this longitudinal study, a total of 718 Spanish university students were assessed at T1, of whom 279 completed questionnaires along with EMA (T2).

RESULTS

The estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation was 8.4%. Levels of depressive symptoms were positively correlated with suicidal ideation and negatively with meaning in life and its dimensions of meaning and purpose. Meaning in life and its dimensions mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and subsequent suicidal ideation.

DISCUSSION

There is a high prevalence of suicidal ideation among Spanish university students, and it is associated with depressive symptoms and meaning in life, with the latter acting as a protective factor. Thus, psychotherapeutic prevention programs from a logotherapeutic perspective could help to reduce students' suicide risk.

The Relationships Between Suicidal Ideation, Meaning in Life, and Affect: a Network Analysis

Transitioning from holistic analysis to a fine-grained level analysis may provide further understanding of psychopathology. This study aimed to explore dimension-level relationships between suicidal ideation, meaning in life, and affect in a joint framework using network analysis and to identify potential prevention and intervention targets to address suicidal ideation. A total of 852 healthy adults aged 18-35 years completed self-report scales to assess suicidal ideation, meaning in life, and affect. A regularized partial correlation network was then built to examine the links between these dimensions. Expected influence and bridge expected influence values were calculated for each node. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 4.2%. The search for and presence of meaning in life and positive and negative affect exhibited distinct and complex links to the three dimensions of suicidal ideation (pessimism, sleep, and despair). The important central nodes were search for meaning in life, sleep, despair, and positive affect, while the critical bridge nodes were positive affect, negative affect, and presence of meaning in life. These findings provide further understanding of the specific roles of meaning in life and affect in suicidal ideation. The identified nodes may be promising targets for prevention and intervention for suicidal ideation.

Distinct trajectories of suicidal behaviors throughout the university stage and associated risk and protective factors: A large-scale prospective study

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a major public health concern, especially among adolescents and young adults. Although research has begun to explore the developmental trajectories of suicide-related outcomes, most have thus far focused on children and adolescents. The current study extends existing literature by identifying subgroup trajectories and related factors of college students over a two-year period.

METHODS

The data used in this study was obtained from an ongoing longitudinal study in Guangdong, China. A total of 3871 students participated in assessments performed at three time points at one-year assessment intervals. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used to estimate trajectory classes for suicidal behaviors, followed by multivariable logistic regression to explore the association between predictive factors and classes.

RESULTS

GMM analyses extracted two distinct trajectories of suicidal behaviors: a low-decreasing group (n = 3669, 94.8 %) and a high-increasing group (n = 202, 5.2 %). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that depressive symptoms, non-suicidal self-injury, hopelessness, and childhood emotional abuse served as risk factors for the high-increasing group, while reasons for living served as protective factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychological interventions aimed at reducing the influence of risk factors and bolstering reasons to live may help to decrease the risk of suicide behaviors in college students.

The Effectiveness of Mobile Apps for Monitoring and Management of Suicide Crisis: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Suicide risk is a multifaceted phenomenon, and many risk factors are involved in its complexity. In the last few decades, mental health apps have spread, providing economic and affordable strategies to prevent suicide. Therefore, the aim of this review is to identify original studies on mobile apps that target suicidal crises. The review follows PRISMA guidelines, searching through four major electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycInfo and Web of Science) for relevant titles/abstracts published from January 2010 to May 2022. It includes original studies that explicitly analyze mobile apps for suicide prevention. A total of 32 studies met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies assessed the feasibility and acceptability of mobile apps, ten studies assessed the efficacy of mobile apps in preventing suicide, and six studies described randomized control trial protocols not yet implemented. Generally, the apps were judged by participants to be acceptable and helpful, and several improvements to enhance the functionality of apps were suggested. The efficacy of mobile apps, although limited and assessed with very heterogenous methods, was confirmed by most of the studies. Mobile apps could represent a helpful supplement to traditional prevention tactics, providing real-time monitoring of at-risk persons, personalized tools to cope with suicidal crises, and immediate access to specific support.