Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
J Affect Disord. 2022 Aug 1;310:241-248. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.021. Epub 2022 May 10.
Extant research has documented a relation between the quality of family communication and adolescent suicidal ideation. However, few studies have examined this relation longitudinally or explored potential mechanisms of this effect. In the present study, unhealthy family communication was hypothesized to be associated with suicidal ideation severity over 18 months via a serial mediation pathway through emotion regulation difficulties and depressive symptom severity.
The sample consisted of 147 adolescents (M = 14.91, SD = 1.51, range = 12-18 years; 76.2% female, 85.5% White) enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. Family communication quality was assessed at baseline using the Family Assessment Device. Emotion regulation difficulties and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and Children's Depression Inventory-2, respectively, at baseline, 6-, and 12-months. Suicidal ideation was assessed using the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-JR at baseline and 18-months. Path analysis was used to analyze temporal relations between constructs.
After accounting for participant's age, sex, treatment condition, and baseline levels of variables of interest, analyses supported the indirect relation between baseline family communication and 18-month suicidal ideation severity through 6-month emotion regulation difficulties and 12-month depressive symptom severity.
Data were exclusively collected via self-report, and the sample was racially homogenous.
Treatment aimed at improving family communication may help bolster emotion regulation abilities, lower depressive symptoms, and subsequently, suicide risk.
现有研究记录了家庭沟通质量与青少年自杀意念之间的关系。然而,很少有研究从纵向角度探讨这种关系,也没有探索这种效应的潜在机制。本研究假设,不健康的家庭沟通通过情绪调节困难和抑郁症状严重程度的串联中介途径,与 18 个月内的自杀意念严重程度有关。
该样本由 147 名青少年(M=14.91,SD=1.51,范围 12-18 岁;76.2%女性,85.5%白人)组成,他们参加了一项随机临床试验。家庭沟通质量在基线时使用家庭评估工具进行评估。情绪调节困难和抑郁症状分别使用情绪调节困难量表和儿童抑郁量表-2 在基线、6 个月和 12 个月时进行评估。自杀意念在基线和 18 个月时使用青少年自杀意念问卷-JR 进行评估。路径分析用于分析各结构之间的时间关系。
在考虑到参与者的年龄、性别、治疗条件以及感兴趣变量的基线水平后,分析结果支持基线家庭沟通与 18 个月自杀意念严重程度之间的间接关系,这种关系通过 6 个月的情绪调节困难和 12 个月的抑郁症状严重程度来体现。
数据仅通过自我报告收集,样本种族单一。
旨在改善家庭沟通的治疗方法可能有助于提高情绪调节能力、降低抑郁症状,从而降低自杀风险。