Impairment in personality functioning predicts young adult suicidal ideation and suicide attempt above and beyond depressive symptoms
Accepted: November 20, 2024
SUPPLEMENTARY: 7
HTML: 0
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Interpersonal factors and depression are believed to be some of the main drivers of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, but other factors may be equally or more important. Drawing on psychodynamic (mentalization) theory, we propose that personality functioning, in particular an incoherent sense of self, may be an important driver of suicidal thoughts and behaviors over and above factors of interpersonal functioning and depression. To evaluate this, we examined associations between personality functioning and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in young adults. Participants (N=153; Mage=20.93) were recruited from a college sample (N=90) and a clinical sample with borderline personality disorder (N=63). Personality functioning (self and interpersonal components) was measured with the Level of Personality Functioning Scale - Brief Form 2.0. Suicidal ideation was measured with the Personality Assessment Inventory. Suicide attempt history was assessed with the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Depression symptoms were measured with the Symptom Checklist 90. Regressions examined relationships between personality functioning, depression symptoms, and suicidal ideation or attempt while controlling for age and gender. Overall personality functioning was significantly associated with suicidal ideation (β=.584, p<.001) and suicide attempt (β=.384, p<.001). Overall personality functioning was a stronger predictor than depression symptoms, age, and gender when included in the same model predicting suicidal ideation or attempt. Both the self and interpersonal components of personality functioning were significantly associated with suicidal ideation and attempt, with larger effect sizes for self-functioning. Findings underscore the importance of considering personality functioning, especially self-functioning, in suicide risk assessment and treatment.
How to Cite

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Similar Articles
- Marta Vigorelli, Gruppo di ricerca coordinato da Marta Vigorelli , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 13 No. 2 (2010)
- Vera Regina Rohnelt Ramires, Cibele Carvalho, Fernanda Munhoz Driemeier Schmidt, Guilherme Pacheco Fiorini, Geoff Goodman, Interaction structures in the psychodynamic therapy of a boy diagnosed with Asperger’s disorder: a single-case study , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 18 No. 2 (2015): Special issue on Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: part 1
- Paolo Migone, The influence of pharmaceutical companies , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 20 No. 2 (2017)
- Elena Faccio, Ludovica Aquili, Michele Rocelli, What is therapeutic? Analysis of the narratives available on the websites of Italian addiction rehab centres to present the therapeutic programme , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 26 No. 1 (2023)
- Laura Bonalume, Laura Corbelli, Mattia Ferro, Anna Lisa Mazzoleni, Maria Pia Roggero , Developing a prototype for relationship therapy psychoanalysis: an empirical study with the Psychotherapy Process Q-set , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 26 No. 1 (2023)
- Paul Schröder-Pfeifer, Alessandro Talia, Jana Volkert, Svenja Taubner, Developing an assessment of epistemic trust: a research protocol , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 21 No. 3 (2018)
- Francesco Gazzillo, Adriano Schimmenti, Ivan Formica, Alessandra Simonelli, Sergio Salvatore, Effectiveness is the gold standard of clinical research , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 20 No. 2 (2017)
- Giulia Bassi, Elisa Mancinelli, Daniela Di Riso, Adriana Lis, Silvia Salcuni, Separation anxiety in a community sample of Italian emerging adults and its relationship with dimensions of borderline personality , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 24 No. 1 (2021)
- Jung Ki Kim, Eileen M. Crimmins, Age differences in the relationship between threatening and coping mechanisms and preventive behaviors in the time of COVID-19 in the United States: Protection Motivation Theory , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 23 No. 3 (2020)
- Vittorio Lenzo, Maria Teresa Gargano, Massimo Mucciardi, Girolamo Lo Verso, Maria C. Quattropani, Clinical Efficacy and Therapeutic Alliance in a Time-Limited Group Therapy for Young Adults , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 17 No. 1 (2014)
<< < 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 > >>
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.