Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression and Suicidal Behavior in College Students: Conditional Indirect Effects of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Self-Compassion

Young adults of college age are at particular risk for psychopathology, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and consequent suicidal behavior, perhaps in a continuum of increasing severity. However, not all persons who experience psychopathological symptoms, or who self-harm, go on to engage in suicidal behavior, perhaps due to protective factors such as self-compassion that buffer this progression. We examined the mediating effect of NSSI on the relation between anxiety/depressive symptoms and suicide risk, and the moderating role of self-compassion on these linkages. Our collegiate sample (N=338) completed: Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Self-Harm Inventory, Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire-Revised, and the Self-Compassion Scale. Students with greater psychopathology reported more engagement in NSSI and, consequently, more suicide risk; self-compassion weakened the psychopathology-NSSI linkage. Therapeutically addressing risk factors for suicidal behavior (e.g., psychopathology, NSSI), and promoting self-compassion, may halt progression from symptomology to self-harm, thereby ultimately reducing suicide risk in college students

Preferences in Information Processing, Marginalized Identity, and Non-Monogamy: Understanding Factors in Suicide-Related Behavior among Members of the Alternative Sexuality Community

Suicide-related behavior (SRB) is a mental health disparity experienced by the alternative sexuality community. We assessed mental health, relationship orientation, marginalized identities (i.e., sexual orientation minority, gender minority, racial minority, ethnic minority, and lower education), and preferences in information processing (PIP) as factors differentiating lifetime SRB groups. An online cross-sectional survey study was conducted in 2018. Members of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF; n = 334) took part. Bivariate analyses identified the following SRB risk factors: female and transgender/gender non-binary identity, sexual orientation minority identity, lower education, suicide attempt/death exposure, Need for Affect (NFA) Avoidance, depression, and anxiety. Monogamous relationship orientation was a protective factor. Multi-nomial regression revealed the following: (1) monogamous relationship orientation was a protective factor for suicidal ideation and attempt; (2) lower education was a risk factor for suicide attempt; (3) anxiety was a risk factor for suicide attempt; and (4) depression was a risk factor for suicidal ideation. A two-way interaction showed that elevated NFA Approach buffered the negative impacts of depression. Relationship orientation, several marginalized identities (i.e., based on gender, sexual orientation, and educational level), and PIP all contributed uniquely to SRB. Further study is necessary to understand the role of relationship orientation with suicide. Health education and suicide prevention efforts with NCSF should be tailored to account for marginalized identity, mental health, and NFA factors

Improving health-related quality of life and reducing suicide in primary care: Can social problem–solving abilities help?

Problem-solving deficits and poor health–related quality of life are associated with suicide risk; yet, little is known about the interrelations between these variables. In 220 primary care patients, we examined the potential mediating role of physical and mental health–related quality of life on the relation between social problem–solving ability and suicidal behavior. Participants completed the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised, and Short-Form 36 Health Survey. Utilizing bootstrapped mediation, our hypotheses were partially supported; mediating effects were found for mental health–related quality of life on the relation between social problem-solving and suicidal behavior. Physical health–related quality of life was not a significant mediator. Greater social problem–solving ability is associated with better mental health–related quality of life and, in turn, to less suicidal behavior. Interventions promoting social problem–solving ability may increase quality of life and reduce suicide risk in primary care patients

Exploring the Moderated Mediation of Student Demographics and Teacher Turnover on Teacher Working Conditions Effect on Student Achievement in North Carolina

Teacher working conditions, teacher turnover, and student achievement are examined from North Carolina. For over 10 years, teacher working conditions have been used as a policy tool to better understand how these conditions are linked to school performance and teacher retention. Previous studies have examined working conditions and achievement; however, this study used a moderated mediation model to examine the when and how causal relationships of these measures. The purpose of the paper is to provide policymakers and educational leaders relevant information about the power of teacher working conditions to influence teacher turnover and student achievement, controlling for student characteristics. The results of the study show (a) current year teacher working conditions have direct effects on teacher turnover and on student performance, (b) current or previous year teacher turnover have no direct effects on student performance, and (c) teacher turnover mediates teacher working conditions on student achievement

Non-Suicidal Self Injury and Suicidal Behavior in College Students: Conditional Indirect Effects of Substance Abuse and Thwarted Interpersonal Needs

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), or deliberate self-harm, and suicidal behaviors are significant public health concerns, and college students may be at particular risk. For instance, approximately 17% of college students engage in NSSI and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in college students. Commonalities between NSSI and suicidal behavior exist, including etiology; as an example, misuse of substances and interpersonal difficulties are related to both outcomes. For college students, substance use disorders and social dysfunction are two of the most common psychosocial problems; for instance, 22% of students report illicit drug use and social isolation, loneliness and separation from traditional support systems are common collegiate stressors. According to the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, two pertinent interpersonal risk factors are perceived burdensomeness (the belief that one is a liability to others) and thwarted belongingness (the unmet need to belong among others). When present, substance misuse and interpersonal dysfunction may facilitate the transition between NSSI and suicidal behavior; however, this premise has not been previously examined. As such, we hypothesized that substance abuse would mediate the relation between NSSI and suicidal behavior, such that engagement in NSSI would be related to greater use of substances and, in turn, to suicidal behavior. Further, we hypothesized that thwarted interpersonal needs would moderate this mediating effect, such that increased TB and PB would exacerbate the mediating effect of substance misuse. Our sample of college students (N=338) was primarily white (89.6%; n=294), female (67%; n=225), and had an average age of 21.8 years (SD=4.7). Participants completed the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, the Self-Harm Inventory, the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, and the Drug Abuse Screening Test. Supporting hypotheses, substance abuse partially mediated the relationship between NSSI and suicidal behavior (DE=1.30, SE=.10,

Social Support and Subjective Health in Fibromyalgia: Self-Compassion as a Mediator

Individuals with fibromyalgia report lower levels of health-related quality of life (HRQL) compared to other chronically ill populations and interpersonal factors (i.e., social support) may influence risk. What is less understood is how intrapersonal factors (i.e., self-compassion) may impact the social support-HRQL linkage. We examined the association between social support and HRQL in a sample of persons with fibromyalgia and tested the potential mediating role of self-compassion. Self-identified adults in the United States with fibromyalgia (N = 508) were recruited from state, regional, and national organizations and support groups and completed an online battery of self-report questionnaires including: Multidimensional Health Profile-Psychosocial Functioning Index, Short-Form 36 Health Survey, and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form. Individuals with greater subjective social support reported higher levels of self-compassion and, in turn, higher mental HRQL. These findings provide greater information about psychosocial constructs and HRQL and extend our understanding of self-compassion among individuals living with fibromyalgia

Gratitude and Lower Suicidal Ideation Among Sexual Minority Individuals: Theoretical Mechanisms of the Protective Role of Attention to the Positive

Gratitude, or attention to and appreciation of the positive, is related to psychological well-being and less psychopathology, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). However, to date, no published research has examined the gratitude-suicide relation among sexual minority (SM) adults (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual), a population at markedly greater risk for STBs. Further, the theoretical mechanisms underlying the impact of gratitude are understudied. The current study examined potential mechanisms that represent the four hypotheses (positive affect, schematic, coping, and broaden-and-build) that might explain the benefit of gratitude in relation to suicidal ideation (SI) among a sample of SM adults (N = 651). Less depressive symptoms (positive affect) and anticipated discrimination (schematic) and greater self-compassion (coping) and psychological flourishing (broaden-and-build) mediated the relation between gratitude and less SI. Therapeutic activities aimed at bolstering gratitude among SM individuals may have a beneficial effect on SI due to impact on psychopathology and psychological well-being

Grit, humor, and suicidal behavior : results from a comparative study of adults in the United States and United Kingdom

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) in both the United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (U.K.) are on the rise. Identification of individual-level protective factors can better inform prevention and intervention efforts. However, the protective role of humor and grit are not yet fully understood. The current study (1) identified the potential protective associations of humor subscale (affiliative, self-enhancing, self-defeating, and aggressive) and grit on STBs among adults, and (2) explored the moderating role of country (U.S. or U.K.) on the relation between humor and grit with STBs. Participants (N = 832) completed self-report measures administered online: Humor Styles Questionnaire, Grit Scale, and Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. Moderation analyses were conducted using bootstrapping techniques. Aggressive humor was related to greater STBs, while grit was related to fewer STBs. Further, cross-cultural variation in humor styles and STBs were observed. Self-enhancing and self-defeating humor were significantly negatively related to STBs among participants from the U.K., but not the U.S. Therapeutically promoting self-enhancing and self-defeating humor as positive coping mechanisms may be beneficial for treating STBs among individuals in the U.K. Reducing aggressive humor may also have utility for suicide prevention