Citation

Bonner RL, Rich AR. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1988; 18(3): 245-258.

Affiliation

45th Street Mental Health Center, West Palm Beach, Florida.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3188140

Abstract

In order to test the predictive validity of a stress--vulnerability model of suicide ideation and behavior, a longitudinal study was conducted with college undergraduates. Based on previous research (Bonner & Rich, 1987; Rich & Bonner, 1987a), measures of social/emotional alienation, adaptive resources for living, and cognitive rigidity were taken at the beginning of the semester and combined to develop a vulnerability score. Then, at midterm, measures of midterm stress and cumulative negative life stress were obtained from the same subjects. It was hypothesized that the vulnerability factor would interact with midterm and negative life stress to predict suicide ideation. Instead of an interactive model, a linear, compensatory model of suicide ideation was found. The combination of alienation, deficient adaptive resources, and life stress best predicted ideation scores. Implications for research and theory are noted.