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Simultaneous Longitudinal Examination of Hopelessness, Thwarted Belongingness, and Perceived Burdensomeness as Predictors of Suicide Ideation
Author(s) -
Roeder Kathryn M.,
Cole David A.
Publication year - 2019
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.12508
Subject(s) - suicidal ideation , psychology , poison control , suicide prevention , clinical psychology , belongingness , cognition , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , beck hopelessness scale , psychiatry , medicine , psychotherapist , medical emergency
Objective Based on Beck's hopelessness model (Beck, Kovacs, & Weissman, Journal of the American Medical Association , 234, 1975, 1146) and Joiner's ( Why people die by suicide , 2005, Harvard University Press, Boston, MA) interpersonal theory of suicide, this study simultaneously examined three cognitive risk factors (hopelessness, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness) as predictors of suicide ideation. Method The study focused on high school and college students ( n s = 192 and 142, respectively), assessed twice 4 months apart. Results When hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness were examined separately, each cognitive risk factor predicted future suicide ideation in both groups. When the three cognitions were tested simultaneously, none emerged as uniquely predictive of suicide ideation. A longitudinal, latent variable model suggested that a common factor underlying all three types of cognition significantly predicted suicide ideation. Furthermore, thwarted belongingness predicted both hopelessness and perceived burdensomeness over time. Conclusions Results suggest ways that aspects of Beck's and Joiner's theories complement each other and could be combined to yield a more comprehensive understanding of cognitive factors associated with suicide ideation.