Premium
Attachment Patterns in Medically Serious Suicide Attempts: The Mediating Role of Self‐Disclosure and Loneliness
Author(s) -
LeviBelz Yossi,
Gvion Yari,
Horesh Netta,
Apter Alan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/sltb.12035
Subject(s) - loneliness , insecure attachment , psychology , attachment theory , psychological pain , intervention (counseling) , interpersonal communication , suicide prevention , clinical psychology , suicidal behavior , poison control , psychotherapist , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , medical emergency
Although the study of medically serious suicide behavior is an important strategy for understanding the nature of suicide, little is known about its underlying psychological mechanisms. This gap is addressed here by applying insights from attachment theory to severe suicidal behavior. The results show that both anxious and avoidant attachment patterns predict medical lethality. Path analysis indicated that interpersonal difficulties mediated the paths between insecure attachment patterns and lethality of suicide attempts. These results suggest that the psychological mechanisms of medically serious suicide behavior involve high levels of mental pain amplified by insecure attachment patterns and interpersonal difficulties. Implications for prevention and therapeutic intervention strategies are discussed.