Baseline state anger, but not trait or evoked state anger, is associated with current suicidal ideation

Despite evidence linking anger to suicidal ideation, the roles of its different forms remain unclear. We examined these associations across two studies. Study 1 (N = 175; M_age = 23.14 ± 8.21) assessed baseline state anger, trait anger, and suicidal ideation at baseline, one week, and two months later. Baseline state anger was associated with current but not future suicidal ideation, whereas trait anger showed no association. Study 2 (N = 184; M_age = 23.62 ± 5.91) compared an anger-induction group (writing about an anger event) with an interest-induction control. Pre-induction baseline state anger was associated with subsequent suicidal ideation, but evoked state anger did not. The induction increased evoked state anger versus the control group but did not produce group differences in suicidal ideation. Overall, baseline state anger showed stronger links to current suicidal ideation than trait or evoked state anger, suggesting that its management may improve suicide prevention.