Meaning in Life Buffers the Association between Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted Belongingness, and Frequency of Non-Suicidal Self-Injuries in Spanish Adolescents

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.

Interpersonal theory of suicide and stressful life events in a clinical sample of adolescents in Spain

AIMS

The interpersonal theory of suicide (ITPS) provides a theoretical model for suicidal behaviour. It includes two interpersonal variables, thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB). This study tested the relationship between ITPS interpersonal variables and suicide risk (presence/absence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts throughout life) in a clinical sample of Spanish adolescents. We also assessed the potential mediation effect of these variables in the well-established relationship between stressful life events (SLE) and suicide risk.

METHODS

We recruited 147 adolescents aged 11-17 from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Outpatient Services of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation (Madrid, Spain). Different questionnaires were administered to assess suicidal behaviour and SLE (SITBI, The Stressful Life Events Scale) and to calculate proxy measures for ITPS interpersonal factors (SDQ, STAXI-NA, CDI).

RESULTS

TB and PB significantly correlated with suicide risk. PB played a mediating role in the relationship between SLE and suicide risk: adolescents reporting SLE were more likely to enact suicide behaviours when they experienced higher PB. Patients scoring higher PB were more likely to receive more intense treatment but tended to abandon intervention promptly.

CONCLUSIONS

ITPS seems useful for predicting suicide risk in an adolescent clinical sample. The results suggest an important role for PB in the SLE-suicide risk relationship and may impact the treatment process. Our exploratory findings should be addressed in future studies.

Family functioning and suicidal ideation in college students: a moderated mediation model of depression and acceptance

Objective

To explore the mediating role of depression in the relationship between family functioning and suicidal ideation (SI) in college students, and to explore whether acceptance (It is one of the core components of psychological flexibility) plays a moderating role in this mediating model.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, questionnaires were distributed to college students during November and December 2022. The sample of Chinese college students (n = 592, 43.07% male, 56.93% female, mean age 19.40 years, SD = 1.24 years) completed the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES III), the Center for Epidemiological Depression Scale (CES-D), the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Second Edition (AAQ II). SPSS 25.0 for Windows and PROCESS 2.15 macros were used for data analysis.

Results

There was a significant negative correlation between family functioning and SI, and depression played a mediating role in this relationship. Acceptance moderated the indirect effects of depression and SI in college students. In college students with a lower acceptance level (i.e., higher experiential avoidance level), depression had more influence on SI, while the influence of depression on SI was less in college students with a higher acceptance level (i.e., lower experiential avoidance level). Family functioning indirectly influenced SI through the moderation of acceptance.

Conclusion

Mental health educators in colleges and universities should pay more attention to identifying and relieving depression in college students, thereby dealing with suicide risk more effectively. At the same time, college students should be discouraged from excessive use of experiential avoidance strategies, and instead taught to master effective emotional regulation strategies such as mindfulness, distress tolerance, and radical acceptance skills to improve their acceptance level and alleviate the influence of depression on SI.

Perceived stress from interpersonal relations predicts suicidal ideation in Chinese university students: Roles of meaning in life and coping humor

Existing studies emphasize that interpersonal relationships are closely associated with the increased risk of suicidal ideation (SI). However, the mechanism underlying this association remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how and under what conditions the perceived stress from interpersonal relations links to SI. Also we explored the possible important roles of meaning in life and coping humor. A total of 1472 Chinese freshmen completed self-reported questionnaires of thwarted belongingness (TB), fear of negative evaluation (FNE), meaning in life, coping humor, and SI. Our results showed that SI was associated with more TB and FNE, and it was linked to less meaning in life and coping humor. Importantly, two dimensions of meaning in life mediated the associations between TB, FNE, and SI. Specifically, TB increased SI by destroying both presence of meaning and search for meaning while FNE increased SI by destroying presence of meaning, but not by search for meaning. Additionally, coping humor attenuated the effect of FNE on SI. Our findings highlight the protective roles of meaning in life and coping humor in the link between perceived stress from interpersonal relations and SI among Chinese university students. These results provide feasible advices for practitioners to carry out suicide prevention and intervention.

Identity, self-blame, and body regard in NSSI: A test of moderated-mediation

BACKGROUND

Prior work suggests that an unstable identity is an important developmental factor impacting risk for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), partly because it can foster lowered self-esteem and self-blame coping styles. Theoretical models suggest that how one regards the self, including experiences of and reactions to one's body (e.g., body regard), impact how factors such as identity instability and coping styles influence NSSI behavior. This study tested whether body regard moderated the mediational effect of self-blame coping on the relationship between poor self-concept clarity and past-year NSSI.

METHODS

A sample of 1906 university students had complete data from an anonymous online questionnaires measuring self-concept clarity, self-blame coping, and past-year NSSI behaviors.

RESULTS

Past-year NSSI was reported by 23.5% of the sample. Moderated mediational regression analyses using the PROCESS macro for SPSS were run. Body regard significantly moderated the effects of self-blame coping and poor self-concept clarity on NSSI such that neither risk factor was associated with NSSI when body regard was high. Poor self-concept clarity also retained a significant, although weakened, direct relationship with NSSI in the full model.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive body regard is protective and appears to mitigate the strength of the relationships between poor self-concept clarity and self-blame coping on past year NSSI. When body regard is low or average, poor self-concept clarity is associated with increased NSSI, partly through the effect of self-blame coping. Treatments that address body- and self-perceptions related to self-concept may enhance the effectiveness of interventions used to reduce NSSI behavior.

Job Satisfaction and Psychological Distress among Help-Seeking Men: Does Meaning in Life Play a Role?

Men’s low job satisfaction has been shown to be associated with greater symptoms of psychological distress. Meaning in life may be an important factor in this relationship, but its role as a mediator has not been reported. The present study investigated meaning in life as a mediator in the relationship between job satisfaction and psychological distress among men. A total of 229 employed Canadian men participated in a cross-sectional survey, completing measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, anger severity, job satisfaction, and the presence of meaning in life. Zero-order correlations were calculated, and regression with mediation analyses were conducted; two models were tested: one for anxiety/depression symptoms and one for anger, as the dependent variables. Both mediation models emerged as significant, revealing a significant mediating effect for job satisfaction on the symptoms of psychological distress (anxiety/depression symptoms, anger) through meaning in life, even while controlling for salient confounding variables including COVID-related impacts. Lower job satisfaction was associated with less meaning in life, which in turn was associated with more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger. The findings highlight the importance of job satisfaction in the promotion of a sense of meaning in life among men, leading to improved psychological well-being both inside and outside of the workplace.