IdeaFest
 

Title

Childhood Maltreatment and Suicidal Ideation

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

4-2021

Keywords

childhood maltreatment, suicidal ideation

Abstract

Suicide is a major cause of preventable death, especially among young adults; survivors of childhood maltreatment are at heightened risk of experiencing suicidal ideation and following through on suicide-related thoughts. Insecure attachment, alexithymia, and impulsivity (negative urgency) were also risk factors for suicidal ideation in independent studies. However, the joint role of these variables in association with suicidal ideation is not fully understood. Childhood maltreatment may disrupt early attachment styles, which, in turn, may be associated with difficulty identifying and describing feelings, i.e., alexithymia. It is also plausible that alexithymia may increase impulsivity (negative urgency), which, in turn, may be associated with suicidal ideation. The current study examines the role of insecure attachment, alexithymia, and negative urgency in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation via a path model. We hypothesize two distinct paths to account for the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation; the relationship between childhood maltreatment, avoidant attachment, and suicidal ideation may be mediated by alexithymia while the relationship between childhood maltreatment, anxious attachment, and suicidal ideation may be mediated by negative urgency. Lastly, we hypothesize that alexithymia will also predict suicidal ideation via negative urgency. Findings from this study will further our understanding of the complex relationships between attachment dysregulation, emotional dysregulation, and suicidal ideation and may also influence future treatment and prevention interventions.

First Advisor

Raluca Simons

Second Advisor

Jeffrey Simons

Research Area

Psychology

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