Citation

Davis MT, Witte TK, Weathers FW. Psychol. Trauma 2014; 6(6): 610-618.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0033941

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked consistently with suicidal ideation (SI). However, research in this area has focused on PTSD at the diagnostic or syndrome level rather than at the symptom level. In the present study we examined the relationship between individual PTSD symptoms and SI, deriving hypotheses from the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) as well as the conceptual and empirical literature regarding the nature and factor structure of PTSD symptoms. We predicted that the strongest relationship between PTSD symptoms and SI would be found for the emotional numbing symptoms, especially detachment or estrangement from others. Trauma-exposed female undergraduates (N = 434) completed a battery of self-report measures, including the PTSD Checklist and Personality Assessment Inventory. As hypothesized, detachment/estrangement had the highest zero-order correlation with SI. Further, in regression analysis, detachment/estrangement was the only PTSD symptom that was positively associated with SI after controlling for negative response bias, depression, type of trauma, and all other PTSD symptoms. These results are consistent with the IPTS and highlight the relationship between detachment/estrangement and SI among those with PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved) © 2013 American Psychological Association

Language: en

Keywords

suicidal ideation; posttraumatic stress disorder; interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide