Citation

Rogers ML, Gallyer AJ, Joiner TE. J. Psychiatr. Res. 2021; 137: 506-513.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.03.031

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Suicide-specific rumination, characterized by perseveration on and difficulties disengaging from suicidal thoughts and ideas, has been linked to increased suicide risk; however, previous studies were limited by the use of a cross-sectional design and relatively lower risk samples. This study aimed to replicate and extend previous findings by examining the short-term longitudinal association between suicide-specific rumination and suicidal intent, controlling for numerous robust covariates, in a sample of community-based adults at high risk for suicide, who were recruited from suicide-related forums online. Ninety-one adults with significant suicidal ideation (M(age) = 27.03, SD = 8.64; 53.8% female, 44.0% male, 1.1% non-binary, 1.1% transgender female) completed brief online self-report measures at six time-points, each three days apart. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that suicide-specific rumination was associated with suicidal intent, above and beyond suicidal ideation, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, agitation, insomnia, nightmares, and sociodemographic characteristics. Further, a lagged model demonstrated that suicide-specific rumination predicted subsequent time-point suicidal intent, controlling for current suicidal intent and all other covariates. Overall, these findings suggest that perseverating on one's suicidal thoughts may serve as a proximal factor that increases suicide risk. Future investigations should explore potential mechanisms of this association, as well as interventions that may reduce suicide-specific rumination.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Attention; Rumination; Suicidal intent; Suicide-specific rumination