Modeling the associations between emotion regulation, suicide crisis syndrome and suicidal behavior: Results in community and clinical samples

Abstract

Background: Emotion Regulation (ER) and Suicide Crisis Syndrome (SCS) are psychological processes involved in suicide. Within ER, both the use of rumination and dysfunctional emotion beliefs are associated with suicide. SCS, a pre-suicidal mental state involving cognitive and affective dysregulation, is related to short-term suicide risk.

Aims: Here, we first examined associations between ER (beliefs about the uncontrollability of emotions and rumination), SCS and suicide behavior, and second, we test a multistep model in which ER factors are linked to suicide behavior through SCS.

Materials & methods: We conducted two cross-sectional studies to address this issue by self-reports. Study 1 used a community sample (N = 421). Study 2 used a clinical sample (N = 70).

Results: Results from both studies showed that beliefs about the uncontrollability of emotions and rumination were associated with higher levels of SCS symptoms and suicide behavior, and that SCS was associated with suicide behavior. In addition, path analyses showed that uncontrollability beliefs were linked to rumination, which in turn was associated with SCS, and this variable mediated the association between ER factors and suicide ideation (in both community and clinical samples) and suicide attempts (in the community sample).

Discussion: As we expected, in both samples, uncontrollability of emotions and rumination were positively related with SCS and suicide behavior.

Conclusion: We emphasize the importance of addressing uncontrollability beliefs and rumination in suicide prevention.