Psychological correlates distinguish suicide ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts among young adults

Individuals who formulate suicide plans (SP) may represent a distinct risk group relative to those who experience suicidal ideation (SI) alone or those who make suicide attempts (SA), yet empirical evidence distinguishing these groups remains limited. The present study examined whether combinations of established psychosocial correlates differentiate SI, SP, and SA histories. Participants were 236 U.S.-based young adults who completed measures of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), depressive symptoms, emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, alexithymia, and interoception. A one-way MANOVA was followed by canonical discriminant function analysis to identify multivariate patterns distinguishing groups. Two discriminant functions emerged. The first reflected general psychosocial dysregulation and distinguished individuals with SP or SA histories from those with SI alone. The second differentiated SP from SA, with the SA group characterized by higher ACEs but comparatively lower emotion dysregulation. These findings suggest suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts may reflect distinct groups with different constellations of psychosocial risk.