Impulsiveness and suicide in male offenders: Examining the buffer roles of regulatory emotional self-efficacy and flourishing

The synergy of depression and flourishing/languishing on suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Findings from a national sample of emerging adult students in higher education in the United States

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a leading cause of death among students in higher education, driven in large part by mental illness, but also mental wellness. Relatively few studies have examined the extent to which depression and flourishing/languishing interact in relation to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

METHODS

We analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study (2020-2021; emerging adult students aged 18-29; N = 101,435), and calculated interaction contrast ratios to estimate the interaction between depression and flourishing/languishing on suicidal thoughts and behaviors, using an additive scale, adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and food insecurity.

RESULTS

When compared with students who were flourishing without depression, the students who were languishing without depression, and the students who were depressed but still flourishing had significantly greater odds of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, students who were depressed and languishing had the greatest odds, exceeding the sum of the individual effects.

CONCLUSION

The interaction of depression and flourishing/languishing produced a synergy that increased odds of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Flourishing interventions may prove to be an effective strategy for universal suicide prevention.

Well-being in institutionalised adolescents

BACKGROUND

For adolescents who have criminal convictions, achieving a positive progress including desistance from offending may depend on a sense of well-being. Factors associated with growth in well-being are not widely researched, but there is some work that suggests that qualities in other internal states as well as in the environment may foster well-being.

AIMS

To examine the well-being of young male incarcerated offenders, and its relationship with frequency of contacts with the family, perceptions of socio-educational environment, feelings about the future and self-efficacy.

METHODS

Participants were recruited from three secure education institutions in the Federal District of Brasília, Brazil, under the management of the Secretariat of Justice. They were invited to complete anonymous self-report questionnaires, which included the Psychological Well-Being Scale, the Perception of the Socio-Educational Environment Scale, the Feelings about the Future Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Self-Efficacy, and to provide limited sociodemographic data.

RESULTS

195 young male offenders participated and their mean age was 16.8 years (SD = 1.58, range 14-20). There was a positive correlation between well-being and perceptions of the socio-educational environment, positive feelings about the future and self-efficacy self-ratings. Multiple linear regression analyses confirmed that the frequency of family contacts, positive perceptions of the socio-educational environment, positive feelings about the future, and self-efficacy in leisure and social activities independently contributed to the well-being of young offenders.

CONCLUSION

Although well-being has been associated with desistance from committing crimes, the factors that may predispose to well-being have been researched less and never before examined among inmates in Brazil. While longitudinal work is needed to be certain of the direction of the relationship, the fact that the results are broadly consistent with a similar study carried out on the other side of the world is encouraging in terms of indicating ways forward in rehabilitation. It is necessary to develop interventions that support family relationships and promote personal relationships and personal development, not only of useful skills but also of personal confidence in those skills.

Moving suicide prevention upstream by understanding the effect of flourishing on suicidal ideation in midlife: an instrumental variable approach

Prior research has examined the association between flourishing and suicidal ideation, but it is unknown whether this association is causal. Understanding the causality between flourishing and suicidal ideation is important for clinicians and policymakers to determine the value of innovative suicide prevention programs by improving flourishing in at-risk groups. Using a linked nationwide longitudinal sample of 1619 middle-aged adults (mean age 53, 53% female, 88% White) from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS), this retrospective cohort study aims to assess the causal relationship between flourishing and suicidal ideation among middle-aged adults in the US. Flourishing is a theory-informed 13-scale index covering three domains: emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Suicidal ideation was self-reported in a follow-up interview conducted after measuring flourishing. We estimated instrumental variable models to examine the potential causal relationship between flourishing and suicidal ideation. High-level flourishing (binary) was reported by 486 (30.0%) individuals, and was associated with an 18.6% reduction in any suicidal ideation (binary) (95% CI, - 29.3- - 8.0). Using alternative measures, a one standard deviation increase in flourishing (z-score) was associated with a 0.518 (95% CI, 0.069, 0.968) standard deviation decrease in suicidal ideation (z-score). Our results suggest that prevention programs that increase flourishing in midlife should result in meaningful reductions in suicide risk. Strengthening population-level collaboration between policymakers, clinical practitioners, and non-medical partners to promote flourishing can support our collective ability to reduce suicide risks across social, economic, and other structural circumstances.

Association between psychological pain and suicidal ideation among men with substance use disorder: a moderated mediation model

Previous studies have found that people with substance use disorder are associated with significantly higher odds of suicidal ideation than the general population. Psychological pain and emotional regulation are considered protective factors for suicidal ideation, but the interaction process is not clear. In this study, we investigated the effects of psychological pain on suicidal ideation and constructed a moderated mediation model. 445 men with substance use disorder in China were recruited to complete the Chinese version of the Psychological Pain Scale, Regulatory Emotional Self-efficacy Scale, Suicidal Ideation Scale, and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. The results demonstrated that psychological pain significantly and positively predicted suicidal ideation among people with substance use disorder, and that regulatory emotional self-efficacy played a mediating role between psychological pain and suicidal ideation. Intolerance of uncertainty moderated the top and bottom halves of the intermediate process paths. This study suggests that intolerance of uncertainty and regulatory emotional self-efficacy can be improved by interventions among people with substance use disorder, which in turn can reduce their suicidal ideation and improve quality of life.

Resilience to suicidal behavior in young adults: a cross-sectional study

Despite decades of research on suicide risk factors in young people, there has been no significant improvement in our understanding of this phenomenon. This study adopts a positive deviance approach to identify individuals with suicide resilience and to describe their associated psychological and sociodemographic profiles. Australian young adults aged 18–25 years with suicidal thoughts (N = 557) completed an online survey covering sociodemographic, mental health status, emotion regulatory and suicide-related domains. Latent class analysis was used to identify the individuals with suicide resilience. The predictors of suicide resilience were assessed using logistic regression models. The results suggested that one in ten (n = 55) met the criteria for suicide resilience. Factors that had a significant association with suicide resilience included greater cognitive flexibility, greater self-efficacy in expressing positive affect, reduced use of digital technology and less self-harm and substance use as a response to emotional distress. This study identified the factors that may protect young adults with suicidal thoughts from progressing to suicide attempts. Suicide prevention programs might be optimised by shifting from a deficit-based to a strength-based approach through promoting cognitive flexibility, self-efficacy and reducing maladaptive coping.