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Enhancing attributional style as a protective factor in suicide.
Evan M Kleiman1, Adam B Miller, John H Riskind
1Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Mail Stop 3F5, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. ekleiman@gmu.edu
Journal of Affective Disorders
|July 31, 2012
Summary
An enhancing attributional style acts as a protective factor against suicidal ideation by directly reducing its occurrence, not merely by alleviating depressive symptoms. This cognitive style is a modifiable target for suicide prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- The study investigates the role of cognitive vulnerability in suicide, specifically the Needles and Abramson (1990) recovery model.
- Previous research indicates that an enhancing attributional style (global, stable attributions for positive events) promotes resilience to depression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that an enhancing attributional style buffers the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation.
- To explore potential mediators, such as changes in depressive symptoms, for this buffering effect.
Main Methods:
- A four-week prospective study involving 209 diverse undergraduate students.
- Utilized moderated Poisson regression and structural equation modeling for data analysis.
Main Results:
- Enhancing attributional style significantly buffered the relationship between baseline depressive symptoms and follow-up suicidal ideation.
- Mediated moderation analysis did not support the hypothesis that reduced suicidal ideation was mediated by reduced depressive symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Enhancing attributional style serves as a protective factor against suicidal ideation.
- The buffering effect is direct, not mediated by changes in depressive symptoms.
- Findings suggest that modifying negative attributional styles could be a valuable clinical strategy for suicide prevention.
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