The Role of Impulsivity and Self-Control in Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempt

Aleena Martin, Mitchell Oehlman, Jacinta Hawgood and John O’Gorman ()
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Aleena Martin: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia
Mitchell Oehlman: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia
Jacinta Hawgood: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia
John O’Gorman: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Two studies are reported examining the relation of self-control, as measured by self-report inventories, to indices of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. In the first study ( n = 113), self-control related significantly ( p < 0.05) and negatively to both indices ( r = ?0.37 and r = ?0.26), and, in a hierarchical regression analysis, added significantly to the variance in the suicidal ideation index accounted for by a measure of impulsivity. The second study ( n = 223) replicated the findings of the bivariate correlations ( r = ?0.55 and r = ?0.59) with the suicidality indices in the first study, both with the earlier measures and with alternative measures of self-control and impulsivity. Results indicated self-control added to the prediction of both indices and not just the ideation index. The second study also demonstrated that self-control acts as a moderator for perceived stress, a known risk factor for suicidality, such that, at low levels of perceived stress, there is little difference between those high and low in measured self-control, but that at high stress levels, those with high self-control had lower scores on suicidal ideation. The results are interpreted as showing that self-control is a protective factor for suicidality.

Keywords: suicidality; buffering hypothesis; risk factor; protective factor; perceived stress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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