Transition from Depression to Suicidal Attempt in Young Adults: The Mediation Effect of Self-Esteem and Interpersonal Needs

Xingyun Liu, Miao Liu, He Li, Liuling Mo and Xiaoqian Liu ()
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Xingyun Liu: Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Miao Liu: Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
He Li: CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Liuling Mo: CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Xiaoqian Liu: CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Depression increases the risk of suicide. Depression and suicide attempts are significantly impacted by low self-esteem and interpersonal needs (i.e., thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB)). More research is required to clarify how these factors affected the change from depression to suicidal attempts, which would dramatically lower the suicide fatality rate. We sought to examine the mediating roles of self-esteem, TB, and PB in Chinese young adults, since previous research shows that self-esteem has a strong relationship with TB, while TB and PB have strong relationships with suicide attempts. Methods: Measures on depression, interpersonal needs, and attempted suicide were completed by a sample of 247 Chinese social media users who had stated suicidal ideation online. Results: The findings showed that people who attempted suicide had significantly higher levels of TB and PB. Suicidal attempts were also impacted by depression via the mediational chains, which included self-esteem, TB, and PB. Conclusions: Our findings might contribute to the expansion of the interpersonal theory of suicide and have an impact on effective suicide prevention.

Keywords: depression; suicidal attempt; self-esteem; thwarted belongingness; perceived burdensomeness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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