Miranda R, Wheeler A, Chapman JE, Ortin-Peralta A, Mañaná J, Rosario-Williams B, Andersen S. Future-oriented repetitive thought, depressive symptoms, and suicide ideation severity: Role of future-event fluency and depressive predictive certainty.
J Affect Disord 2023;
335:401-409. [PMID:
37217102 PMCID:
PMC10315224 DOI:
10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.050]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Knowing how future-oriented repetitive thought - i.e., repeated consideration of whether positive or negative outcomes will happen in one's future - leads to hopelessness-related cognitions may elucidate the role of anticipating the future in depressive symptoms and suicide ideation. This study examined future-event fluency and depressive predictive certainty - i.e., the tendency to make pessimistic future-event predictions with certainty - as mechanisms explaining the relation between future-oriented repetitive thought, depressive symptoms, and suicide ideation.
METHODS
Young adults (N = 354), oversampled for suicide ideation or attempt history, completed baseline measures of pessimistic future-oriented repetitive thought (i.e., the degree to which people consider whether negative outcomes will happen or positive outcomes will not happen in their futures), future-event fluency, depressive predictive certainty, depressive symptoms, and suicide ideation severity and were followed up 6 months later (N = 324).
RESULTS
Pessimistic future-oriented repetitive thought predicted depressive predictive certainty at 6-months, partially mediated by lower positive but not increased negative future-event fluency. There was an indirect relationship between pessimistic future-oriented repetitive thought and 6-month suicide ideation severity via 6-month depressive predictive certainty through 6-month depressive symptoms, and also via 6-month depressive symptoms (but not depressive predictive certainty) alone.
LIMITATIONS
Lack of an experimental design limits inferences about causality, and a predominantly female sample may limit generalizability by sex.
CONCLUSION
Clinical interventions should address pessimistic future-oriented repetitive thought - and its impact on how easily people can think about positive future outcomes - as one potential way to reduce depressive symptoms and, indirectly, suicide ideation.
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