Self-disgust mediates the effect of problematic mobile social media use on non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents: A latent growth curve analysis

OBJECTIVE

Previous research linked problematic mobile social media use to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, little research explored the underlying mechanism. Drawing on the social displacement hypothesis, which suggests that excessive social media use may disrupt offline social interactions, leading to negative emotional experiences, the study employs a longitudinal design to explore the relationship between problematic mobile social media use and NSSI, with a specific emphasis on the mediating role of self-disgust.

METHODS

A total of 1,684 Chinese adolescents (52.3% females; Mage = 14.59 years, SDage = 1.27) completed self-report questionnaires regarding problematic mobile social media use, self-disgust, and NSSI. The assessment was conducted in three waves, 6 months apart.

RESULTS

Using latent growth curve and structural equation modeling, our study observed a consistent linear decline in NSSI levels over time. Higher initial NSSI levels correlated with a slower reduction. Problematic mobile social media use positively influenced the initial level of NSSI. Additionally, self-disgust played a mediating role in the relationship between problematic mobile social media use and NSSI.

CONCLUSIONS

The study underscores the importance of understanding the emotional experiences behind social media use, beyond mere usage duration. By revealing the mediating role of self-disgust, it provides new insights into the complex interplay between problematic mobile social media use and adolescent NSSI.

Tiredness of Life - Conceptualizing a Complex Phenomenon

A phenomenon referred to as 'tiredness of life' or 'weariness of life' appears in current discussions on the legitimacy of euthanasia for relatively healthy older adults as well as in research on suicidality more broadly. However, a consensus conceptualization of the phenomenon is lacking. In the current paper, we offer such a conceptualization by reviewing and integrating knowledge from terminology, available descriptions, and first qualitative findings. Boredom with life, aversion towards life, meaninglessness, and fatigue are identified as central components of the phenomenon. Per component, we describe how the component was identified, our definition of the component and its foundation in descriptions in the literature, and empirical studies on how the component relates to euthanasia requests and suicidality. Moreover, hypotheses on the structure of the phenomenon are outlined, such as on interactions among and the importance of the different components.

Neurological, Metabolic, and Psychopathological Correlates of Lifetime Suicidal Behaviour in Major Depressive Disorder without Current Suicide Ideation

INTRODUCTION

Suicidal behaviour (SB) has a complex aetiology. Although suicidal ideation (SI) is considered the most important risk factor for future attempts, many people who engage in SB do not report it.

METHODS

We investigated neurological, metabolic, and psychopathological correlates of lifetime SB in two independent groups of patients with major depression (sample 1: n = 230; age: 18-65 years; sample 2: n = 258; age >60 years) who did not report SI during an index episode.

RESULTS

Among adults (sample 1), SB was reported by 141 subjects (58.7%) and severe SB by 33 (15%). After controlling for interactions, four risk factors for SB emerged: male gender (OR 2.55; 95% CI: 1.06-6.12), negative self-perception (OR 1.76; 95% CI: 1.08-2.87), subthreshold hypomania (OR 4.50; 95% CI: 1.57-12.85), and sexual abuse (OR 3.09; 95% CI: 1.28-7.48). The presence of at least two of these factors had the best accuracy in predicting SB: sensitivity = 57.6% (39.2-74.5); specificity = 75.1% (68.5-82.0); PPV = 27.9% (20.9-37.2); NPV = 91.4% (87.6-94.1). In older patients (sample 2), 23 subjects (9%) reported previous suicide attempts, which were characterized by earlier onset (25 years: OR 0.95: 0.92-0.98), impaired verbal performance (verbal fluency: OR 0.95: 0.89-0.99), higher HDL cholesterol levels (OR 1.04: 1.00-1.07) and more dyskinesias (OR 2.86: 1.22-6.70).

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that SB is common in major depressive disorder, even when SI is not reported. In these individuals it is feasible and recommended to investigate both psychiatric and organic risk factors. The predictive power of models excluding SI is comparable to that of models including SI.

Reporting Ethical Procedures in Suicide Prevention Research: Current Status and Recommendations

OBJECTIVE

Ethical concerns frequently arise in suicide prevention research regarding participant safety and confidentiality. Despite a substantial literature on managing and navigating ethical concerns in suicide research, little attention has been paid to the reporting of ethical procedures. Furthermore, standard procedures for reporting ethical risk management procedures have not been developed.

METHOD

A review of the current literature was performed to examine the current state of reporting of ethical procedures within suicide research. Articles published in 2020 (N = 263) from three suicide-focused publications were screened and then coded (n = 131) to identify reporting of procedures for the ethical conduct of research and suicide risk management steps taken by the research teams.

RESULTS

The majority of articles reported ethical review or approval (84.7%) and reported the use of an informed consent process (77.9%). Only 28.2% included risk mitigation procedures. Of those 29.7% of those articles reported conducting risk evaluation, 66.7% reported resource dissemination, and 51.4% reported an intervention.

CONCLUSION

As empirical support for brief interventions accrues, suicide prevention researchers should consider establishing standards for the reporting of procedures to ensure the safety of participants with suicidal risk.HighlightsReporting suicide safety protocols helps ensure high ethical standards in research.Fewer than 1/3 of articles reviewed reported risk mitigation procedures in 2020.Standard procedures for reporting safety protocols in suicide research are needed.

Self-disgust in patients with borderline personality disorder. The associations with alexithymia, emotion dysregulation, and comorbid psychopathology

BACKGROUND

Self-disgust is a negative self-conscious emotion, which has been linked with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, it has not yet been investigated in relation to both emotion dysregulation and alexithymia, which are recognized as crucial to BPD. Therefore, the aim of our study was to measure these variables and examine the possible mediational role of emotional alterations and comorbid anxiety and depression symptoms in shaping self-disgust in patients with BPD and healthy controls (HCs).

METHODS

In total, the study included 100 inpatients with BPD and 104 HCs. Participants completed: the Self-Disgust Scale (SDS), Disgust Scale - Revised (DS-R), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Emotion Dysregulation Scale short version (EDS-short), Borderline Personality Disorder Checklist (BPD Checklist), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-R).

RESULTS

Inpatients with BPD showed higher self-disgust, alexithymia, emotion dysregulation, core and comorbid symptoms levels, and lower disgust sensitivity. Alexithymia, emotion dysregulation, and trait anxiety partially mediated between BPD diagnosis and self-disgust. The relationship between the severity of BPD symptoms and self-disgust was fully mediated by alexithymia, emotion dysregulation, depressive symptoms, and trait anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study may imply the contribution of emotion dysregulation, alexithymia, and comorbid psychopathology to self-referenced disgust in BPD.

The moderating role of sexual minority status in the associations of the experience and tolerance of shame-related emotions to suicide risk

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the associations of the experience and tolerance of shame-related emotions to suicide risk, as well as the moderating role of sexual minority status.

METHODS

Community adults (N = 360) were recruited via MTurk and completed self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analyses examined the main and interactive associations of sexual minority status and shame-related variables to suicide risk.

RESULTS

Results revealed significant positive associations between self-disgust and suicide risk for sexual minority and heterosexual participants, although the magnitude was greater for sexual minority participants. Additionally, tolerance of shame was significantly negatively related to suicide risk only among sexual minority participants. Finally, exploratory analyses examining the three-way interaction of self-disgust, shame tolerance, and sexual minority status revealed a significant negative association between shame tolerance and suicide risk only among sexual minority participants with high levels of self-disgust.

CONCLUSION

Results highlight the relevance of shame-related experiences to suicide risk among sexual minorities.

Self-disgust in Patients with Dermatological Diseases

BACKGROUND

Dermatological diseases can be associated with symptoms such as oozing pus, weeping, and/or bleeding, which represent primary disgust elicitors. This study examined the role of self-disgust in people with different skin conditions (e.g., hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, lichen sclerosus).

METHODS

A self-selected sample of 200 dermatology patients completed questionnaires for the assessment of self-disgust, experienced stigmatization, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization. Multiple regression analysis and mediation analysis were computed to examine the relationship between self-disgust and the other selected variables.

RESULTS

Sixty-four percent of the patients reported elevated self-disgust. Sex, age, depression, and perceived stigmatization were predictors of self-disgust. Depression mediated the relationship between stigmatization (e.g., staring by others) and self-disgust.

CONCLUSIONS

This study points to the important role of self-disgust in dermatological conditions. Public health programs to counteract stigmatization of patients with skin diseases as well as therapy approaches that help decrease patients' self-disgust and increase self-acceptance are urgently needed.

Effects of Self-Esteem on Self-Viewing: An Eye-Tracking Investigation on Mirror Gazing

While some people enjoy looking at their faces in the mirror, others experience emotional distress. Despite these individual differences concerning self-viewing in the mirror, systematic investigations on this topic have not been conducted so far. The present eye-tracking study examined whether personality traits (self-esteem, narcissism propensity, self-disgust) are associated with gaze behavior (gaze duration, fixation count) during free mirror viewing of one's face. Sixty-eight adults (mean age = 23.5 years; 39 females, 29 males) viewed their faces in the mirror and watched a video of an unknown person matched for gender and age (control condition) for 90 s each. The computed regression analysis showed that higher self-esteem was associated with a shorter gaze duration for both self-face and other-face. This effect may reflect a less critical evaluation of the faces.

Two Case Studies of Delusions Leading to Suicide, a Selective Review

Many questions pertaining to delusional disorder (DD) remain unanswered. It is unclear what syndromes to include under this category of psychotic illness and when to treat with antidepressants, cognitive therapy, or antipsychotic medication. DD is associated with psychiatric comorbidity, especially depression, and rates of suicidal behavior are high when the two conditions co-exist. In this selective review, we present two instances of suicide in the context of DD, one illustrating risks for the somatic subtype and the second, risks for the persecutory subtype. The frequency of suicidal behaviour in these two subtypes of DD is estimated at 8-21%. The literature suggests a prominent role for social emotions (shame, humiliation) in the pathway leading to suicide. In addition, risk factors found in our two patients point to factors such as poverty, living alone, vulnerable risk periods, stigma, and lack of trust in mental health services. Building trust may be the most effective preventive measure.

Suicidal Ideation Among Medical Students in Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Background: Medical students are at high risk of suicidal ideation. Aim: We aimed to obtain information on suicidal ideation among medical students in Dammam located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine affiliated with Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Suicidal ideation in the past 12 months was assessed based on responses to four questions in the depression subscale of the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28). In addition, data were collected to examine the association of suicidal ideation with various factors. Results: We found that 1 in 3 medical students in the study had suicidal ideation in the past 12 months, while around 40% had lifetime suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was associated with feelings of parental neglect, history of physical abuse, and dissatisfaction with academic performance. Limitations: The cross-sectional nature of this study limits its ability to determine causality regarding suicidal ideation. Conclusion: These rates are considerably high when compared with rates from studies in other countries around the world. This study provides a reference in the field of suicidology for this region of Saudi Arabia.