Sequential Pathways to Suicidal Ideation: Refining the IMV Model in a Trauma-Exposed Iranian Sample.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Childhood trauma (CT) is a significant risk factor for suicidal ideation (SI).
• Understanding the psychological mechanisms linking CT to SI is crucial for developing effective interventions, especially in collectivist societies with rising suicide rates.
• The integrated motivational-volitional (IMV) framework offers a model to explore these complex relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the sequential and parallel mediational roles of attachment difficulties (ATT) and entrapment (ENT) in the association between CT and SI within the IMV framework.
• To investigate the predictive power of emotional abuse and neglect on SI.
• To explore the moderating effects of gender and previous suicide attempt history on the CT-SI pathway.

Main Methods:

• Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM (MGSEM) were employed.
• Data were collected from 694 trauma-exposed adults in Tehran, Iran.
• The study analyzed sequential (CT → ATT → ENT → SI) and parallel (CT → ATT → SI; CT → ENT → SI) mediational models.

Main Results:

• The sequential model demonstrated a significantly better fit compared to the parallel model.
• The sequential model explained 44.5% of the variance in SI and 68.3% of the variance in ENT.
• Emotional abuse and neglect were identified as the strongest predictors within the model. Gender and prior suicide attempt history moderated the pathway.

Conclusions:

• Findings provide cross-sectional support for the IMV framework, highlighting the sequential mediating roles of attachment difficulties and entrapment in the CT-SI relationship.
• Interpersonal factors, specifically attachment difficulties and entrapment, are key psychological mechanisms linking childhood trauma to suicidal ideation.
• The results offer valuable insights for developing targeted interventions for trauma-exposed individuals in Iran and similar cultural contexts.