Moderating Effect of Perceived Stress on the Relationship Between Perseverative Coping and Suicide Ideation

Perseverative coping refers to the persistent use of ineffective coping strategies, including the repetition of previously abandoned approaches. No empirical studies explored the mechanisms of stress and perseverative coping influences on suicide. Drawing on the stress and coping model of suicide risk and the diathesis-stress model of suicide, this study assessed the hypothesis that perceived stress moderates the relationship between perseverative coping and suicidal thoughts/suicide attempts.

Participants comprised 912 college students (women = 485, men = 427) who completed self-report measures assessing perceived stress and perseverative coping. Six months later, they completed an additional questionnaire assessing suicidal thoughts/suicide attempts.

Higher levels of perseverative coping and perceived stress were associated with higher levels of suicidal thoughts/suicide attempts. Moderating analysis revealed a significant interaction between perceived stress and perseverative coping, including that perceived stress moderated the relationship between perseverative coping and suicidal thoughts/suicide attempts.

This result indicated that when perceived stress was high, elevated levels of perseverative coping were associated with an increase in suicidal thoughts/suicide attempts. These findings implied that the transactional model of stress may contribute to the development of suicide research and that perseverative coping may prevent stress-induced suicidal thoughts/suicide attempts.