Citation

Horwitz AG, Held P, Klassen BJ, Karnik NS, Pollack MH, Zalta AK. Cognit. Ther. Res. 2018; 42(5): 711-719.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10608-018-9925-6

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

With approximately 20 veteran suicide deaths per day, suicidal ideation (SI) among veterans is an important concern. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with SI among veterans, yet mechanisms of this relationship remain unclear. Negative posttraumatic cognitions contribute to the development and maintenance of PTSD, yet no studies have prospectively examined the relationship between posttraumatic cognitions and SI. Veterans (N = 177; 66% Male) participating in a 3-week intensive outpatient program for PTSD completed assessments of PTSD severity, depressive symptoms, SI, and posttraumatic cognitions. Negative posttraumatic cognitions about the self significantly predicted SI at posttreatment, controlling for pretreatment levels of SI, depression, and PTSD symptom severity. Self-blame and negative posttraumatic cognitions about others/world did not predict SI prospectively. Negative posttraumatic cognitions about the self appear to be an important factor in the manifestation of SI among veterans with PTSD and should be monitored as a potential indicator of suicide risk. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; cognition; female; male; PTSD; suicidal ideation; depression; Suicidal ideation; disease severity; veteran; Veterans; posttraumatic stress disorder; outpatient; major clinical study; prospective study; Article; Patient Health Questionnaire 9; anxiety assessment; cognition assessment; Patient Health Questionnaire 8; posttraumatic cognition; Posttraumatic cognitions; Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM 5