[Implicit Associations with Death: First Validation of the German Version of the Suicide Implicit Association Test...

Nock, Park, Finn, et al. 1 developed an implicit association test for suicide (suicide IAT) measuring the implicit association between 'death' and 'self'. They demonstrated that psychiatric patients, who already attempted suicide, showed stronger implicit associations with 'death' than with 'life' compared to patients without suicide attempt history. The present study had 2 aims: (1) to present a new German version of the suicide IAT and provide its first validation and (2) to investigate how implicit associations (suicide IAT) relate to suicidal ideation and behaviour, well-known risk factors such as depressiveness and hopelessness, and central concepts of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide 2, Thwarted Belongingness and Perceived Burdensomeness. The sample consisted of 16 patients with a current Major Depression and suicidal ideation as well as 16 non-depressive, non-suicidal controls. Patients showed stronger associations between 'death' and 'self' than controls. We further found positive correlations between implicit associations with death and explicitly self-reported suicidal behaviour - controlled for depressiveness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. Our results confirm the validity of the German version of the suicide IAT and are discussed in the light of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicidal Behaviour 2 and recent suicide research.