Citation

Rasmussen S, O'connor R. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 35.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Cottrell Building, FK9 4LA Stirling, Scotland. sar3@stir.ac.uk.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16963891

Abstract

Objective: Previous research has implicated personality and cognitive factors in the experience of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. On the basis of two psychological models of suicide (Escape from Self; Baumeister, 1990; Cry of Pain, Williams, 1997), this study investigated an integrative model involving the relationship between perfectionism, motivation (behavioural inhibition/adaptation systems, BIS/BAS), and autobiographical memory recall to predict psychological distress (hopelessness, depression/anxiety, suicide ideation). Methodology: 40 patients who had been admitted to a west of Scotland hospital following an episode of deliberate self-harm participated in the study and were followed up 6 weeks later. The patients completed the Autobiographical Memory Task and were assessed on measures of hopelessness, depression/anxiety, suicidality, perfectionism, and motivation at Time 1. They completed measures of suicidality and distress at Time 2. Results and Discussion: Hierarchical regression analyses showed that socially prescribed perfectionism interacted with over-general recall of both positive and negative memories to predict changes in psychological distress/suicide ideation. In addition perfectionism both mediated and moderated the relationship between BIS and psychological distress. The theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Language: en