Early life stress predicts negative urgency through brooding, depending on 5-HTTLPR genotype: A pilot study with 6-month follow-up examining suicide ideation

The role of parental maladaptive emotion socialization in the risk process for negative urgency and drinking behavior in adolescence

INTRODUCTION

Negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly when experiencing negative emotions) is a robust risk factor for a number of problem behaviors, including early adolescent drinking. Little is known about the factors that precede the development of negative urgency, and hence the full etiology of this component of risk. The current study aimed to investigate the possibility that facets of childhood maladaptive emotion socialization (the tendency for children's expressions of emotions to be met with punishment, minimized, or invoke a reaction of distress from their parents/caretakers) increases risk for the development of negative urgency and drinking behavior.

METHOD

Self-report measures of negative urgency, subfacets of maladaptive emotion socialization, and drinking behavior were collected during the 2021-2022 academic year from a sample of 428 high school students (mean age = 14.7, SD = 0.09, 44% female), assessed twice over the course of a semester, reflecting a 4-month longitudinal window.

RESULTS

Distress emotion socialization predicted increases in negative urgency, minimizing predicted decreases in negative urgency, and punitive did not provide significant prediction. Additionally, results found that higher levels of both negative urgency and distress emotion socialization increased adolescents' likelihood of having tried alcohol. These processes were invariant across race and gender.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study may inform the future creation of prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing maladaptive emotion socialization and increasing adaptive emotion socialization. Successful reductions in negative urgency as a consequence of increased adaptive emotion socialization may then lead to decreases in adolescent drinking and other impulsigenic behaviors.

Multidimensional Impulsivity and Suicidal Behaviour: A Partial Test of the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) Model of Suicide

OBJECTIVE

Suicide remains a public health problem within the United Kingdom (UK) and globally. Impulsivity is a key risk factor within the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model (IMV) of Suicide warranting further study. The current study applied a multi-dimensional impulsivity framework (UPPS-P) to differentiate suicidality subgroups within an IMV framework (i.e., no suicidal behavior, suicidal ideation only, and suicide attempt). Impulsivity subscales were evaluated as moderators of the suicidal ideation-future suicide attempt link.

METHOD

Adults living in the UK (N = 1027) completed an online survey addressing demographics, impulsivity, psychological distress, and lifetime suicidal behavior. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression with simple slopes analyses to investigate study objectives.

RESULTS

Data analyses revealed that: (1) four impulsivity subtypes (negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of premeditation, sensation-seeking) differentially distinguished suicidal behavior groups; (b) negative urgency, positive urgency, and lack of premeditation were meaningfully associated with suicide outcomes, and (c) negative urgency served as a moderator of the suicidal ideation-future attempt link.

CONCLUSIONS

Urgency, regardless of positive or negative valence, is important for understanding differences in lifetime suicidal behavior. Sensation-seeking may play a protective role for direct suicidal behavior. Negative urgency may be the most prominent aspect of impulsivity when considered as an IMV moderator. Findings are contextualized with respect to impulsivity and IMV frameworks. Clinical implications involve accounting for negative urgency in suicide risk assessment and intervention.

Dissecting early life stress-induced adolescent depression through epigenomic approach

Early life stress (ELS), such as abuse and neglect during childhood, can lead to psychiatric disorders in later life. Previous studies have suggested that ELS can cause profound changes in gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms, which can lead to psychiatric disorders in adulthood; however, studies on epigenetic modifications associated with ELS and psychiatric disorders in adolescents are limited. Moreover, how these epigenetic modifications can lead to psychiatric disorders in adolescents is not fully understood. Commonly, DNA methylation, histone modification, and the regulation of noncoding RNAs have been attributed to the reprogramming of epigenetic profiling associated with ELS. Although only a few studies have attempted to examine epigenetic modifications in adolescents with ELS, existing evidence suggests that there are commonalities and differences in epigenetic profiling between adolescents and adults. In addition, epigenetic modifications are sex-dependent and are influenced by the type of ELS. In this review, we have critically evaluated the current evidence on epigenetic modifications in adolescents with ELS, particularly DNA methylation and the expression of microRNAs in both preclinical models and humans. We have also clarified the impact of ELS on psychiatric disorders in adolescents to predict the development of neuropsychiatric disorders and to prevent and recover these disorders through personalized medicine.

Social cognitive mechanisms between psychological maltreatment and adolescent suicide ideation: Race/ethnicity and gender as moderators

Childhood psychological maltreatment is a well-studied predictor of adolescent suicide ideation, while social support is a protective factor, but little is known about social-cognitive mechanisms that may link psychological maltreatment to suicide ideation. Further, given the impact that culture, race/ethnicity, and gender can have on social relationships and suicide-related risk factors, these mechanisms may differ across demographic groups.

Objective

The current study examined whether psychological maltreatment predicts suicide ideation through self-perception of social competence, and whether this relationship differs depending on race/ethnicity and gender.

Method

We analyzed a racially diverse, longitudinal sample of adolescents at risk for maltreatment (N = 765). Self-report measures of lifetime maltreatment were completed at age 12 and combined with data from Child Protective Services. Youth also completed measures of perceived social competence at age 12. Indicators of suicide ideation were taken at ages 8, 12, 16, and 18.

Results

Perceived social competence scores differed significantly between children who were psychologically maltreated and those who were not, but these differences were nonsignificant for physical and sexual abuse. Self-perception of social competence fully mediated the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and suicide ideation for White girls and boys.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that poor perceived social competence is uniquely associated with psychological maltreatment, and White adolescents may develop suicide ideation through specific mechanisms involving social cognition. Certain youth may benefit from interventions improving social cognitions and promoting healthy relationships to prevent suicide ideation during adolescence.

Emotion-related impulsivity and rumination: Unique and conjoint effects on suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury across two samples

INTRODUCTION

Rumination and emotion-related impulsivity predict suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Because rumination and emotion-related impulsivity, though, are highly correlated, we consider their unique vs. conjoint influence on suicidal ideation and self-harm.

METHOD

Across two samples of adults (N's = 171 and 191), we examined how rumination and emotion-related impulsivity relate to suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and NSSI. We assess the more general process of repetitive negative thinking and the more specific process of suicide-related rumination. Participants completed the Three-Factor Impulsivity Index and the self-report Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Those in sample 1 completed the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire and the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, and those in Sample 2 completed the Suicide Rumination Scale.

RESULTS

Emotion-related impulsivity and both forms of rumination showed robust bivariate correlations with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and NSSI. Neither rumination or impulsivity related to suicide attempts controlling for ideation or to NSSI. In multivariable analyses, emotion-related impulsivity but not general rumination was tied to suicidal ideation. In contrast, suicide-related rumination was more directly tied to suicidal ideation than was impulsivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide support for a more nuanced approach to the forms of impulsivity and rumination related to suicidal ideation.

The UPPS Model of Impulsivity and Suicide: A Systematic Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Although inconsistent, impulsivity has been identified as a risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and these inconsistent findings can largely be attributed to varying operationalizations of impulsivity. As such, the UPPS model of impulsivity provides a clear definition of impulsivity and its associated features that may provide utility in clarifying unreliable findings between impulsivity and suicide. This review aimed to summarize relevant information pertaining to the UPPS model of impulsivity and suicide.

METHODS

This systematic review followed the a priori guide outlined by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. Articles were gathered from PsycINFO, PsycArticles, Scopus, and PubMed.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight articles were reviewed and analyzed. Most articles reviewed reported on indirect (i.e., through mediators and moderators) associations between the UPPS dimensions and suicidal behaviors. Additionally, results noted limited between-group differences in UPPS facets among individuals with a history of suicide attempts and those without a history of suicide attempts, those with a history of suicide attempts and individuals with suicide ideation, and those with suicide ideation and those without suicide ideation, with the exception of lack of premeditation.

DISCUSSION

The results of this review indicate support for the UPPS model of impulsivity as a theoretical starting point when examining the relation between impulsivity and suicide. Further, findings are helpful for clinicians and case conceptualization. Particularly, suicide risk assessment and treatment would be impacted based on impulsivity traits and suicide history.

Early Life Trauma, Suicide Ideation, and Suicide Attempts: The Role of Rumination and Impulsivity

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young adults in the United States. One of the many risk factors for suicide includes exposure to early life trauma. The present study examined whether rumination and impulsivity play a role in the relationship between early life trauma and increased risk for suicidal behavior (i.e., suicide ideation and suicide attempts) among 426 young adults. Early life trauma was associated with brooding, reflective rumination, and impulsivity in the form of negative urgency. Current or recent suicide ideators self-reported greater early life trauma, ruminative thinking, and impulsivity than non-ideators and non-attempters. Further, a multinomial logistic regression found that early life trauma, reflection, lack of premeditation, and lack of perseverance were associated with higher odds of reporting suicide ideation in the previous 6 months. We also found indirect relationships between early life trauma and suicide ideation through brooding or reflection and lack of perseverance in serial mediation analyses. These findings suggest that early life trauma may increase risk of suicide ideation to the degree that it leads to ruminative thinking and lack of follow-through with difficult tasks. How early life trauma might increase risk for ruminative thinking, impulsivity, and subsequent suicidal behavior is discussed.

Depression, Rumination, and Impulsive Action: A Latent Variable Approach to Behavioral Impulsivity

Previous research on the relationship between rumination and behavioral impulsivity has been limited because impulsivity was assessed by using individual tasks. This study examined the concurrent associations of a latent variable named impulsive action with rumination and depression to alleviate the task-impurity problem and the low reliability of laboratory tasks assessing impulsivity. This study also examined whether stressors mediated the association between impulsive action and rumination. University students in Japan (N = 176) conducted three laboratory tasks assessing impulsive action: the Go/No-Go Task, the Stop Signal Task, and the Conners Continuous Performance Test 3rd Edition. They also completed self-report measures of rumination, stressors, and depression. Results indicated that the latent variable named impulsive action constructed from the performance in these three tasks was positively associated with rumination. Moreover, stressors mediated this association. Also, impulsive action was positively associated with depression via the increase in stressors and rumination. These findings and those of previous studies examining associations between rumination and self-reported impulsivity suggest that impulsivity might be a determinant of rumination.

Beyond the dyad: the role of mother and father in newborns' global DNA methylation during the first month of life-a pilot study

The study aimed to longitudinally explore the effects of parental prenatal attachment and psychopathological symptomatology on neonatal global DNA methylation (5-mC) variation between birth and the first month of life. Eighteen mothers and thirteen fathers were assessed before childbirth (t0) by Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Prenatal-Attachment Inventory, and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale; 48 hr after childbirth (t1) by SCL-90-R; and one month after childbirth (t2) by PSS. At t1 and t2, buccal swabs from parents and newborns were collected. In newborns' 5-mC and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DAT, MAOA, BDNF, and 5-HTTLPR genes were detected, while in parents only SNPs were measured. At t1, newborns' 5-mC was negatively associated with maternal psychopathological symptoms, while at t2, newborns' 5-mC was positively associated with paternal psychopathological symptoms and negatively with paternal prenatal attachment. The variation of newborns' 5-mC from t1 to t2 was predicted by paternal psychopathological symptoms. No significant correlations among parental SNPs and 5-mC levels were found. Results highlight parent-specific influences on newborn's DNA methylation. At birth, maternal psychological symptoms seem to have an effect on newborns' 5-mC, while after one month of life, paternal psychological characteristics could have a specific role in modulating the newborns' epigenetic responses to the environment.

Impulsive reactivity to emotion and vulnerability to psychopathology

Impulsiveness has been studied as an aspect of personality and psychopathology for generations. There are longstanding disagreements about how to define it and whether it should be viewed as one construct or several. This article begins by briefly reviewing some earlier and some more recent work on impulsiveness. Several approaches have recently converged to focus on a distinction between impulsive reactions to emotion and impulsive properties that are not initiated by emotion. From this review, we turn to psychopathology. It is well known that impulsiveness is related to externalizing psychopathology, but some have concluded that a similar relation does not exist for internalizing psychopathology. A recent literature is described that challenges the latter conclusion, linking impulsive reactivity to emotion to both externalizing and internalizing aspects of psychopathology. Discussion then turns to emotion-related impulsiveness and other constructs to which it is conceptually and empirically related, reexamining whether other conceptual targets should be added to the discussion. The article closes with a consideration of how important it is to continue to remain open to new conceptual perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding the social context of adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury

OBJECTIVE

Research investigating the social context of adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been limited. We therefore examined social characteristics of NSSI, such as knowledge of friends' NSSI and the role friends play in continuing NSSI, and their relationships to other known NSSI correlates, such as suicidality.

METHOD

We assessed NSSI characteristics, including social features, in a community sample of 89 self-injuring adolescents. We also assessed psychosocial correlates of NSSI, including impulsivity, self-concept, and psychiatric symptoms.

RESULTS

Knowledge of friends' NSSI was relatively common among self-injurers. In addition, knowledge of friends' NSSI was associated with use of more NSSI methods, cutting behaviors, and suicidal ideation, but not with other NSSI correlates. However, teaching or encouragement of NSSI by friends was rare.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge of friends' NSSI may serve as marker of increased severity among adolescent self-injurers. These findings have implications for identifying and intervening with high-risk self-injuring youth.