Hopelessness, social desirability, and suicidal behavior: a need for conceptual and empirical disentanglement

Although hopelessness has been postulated as the primary mediator that links depression and suicide, empirical evidence has produced varied results. A review of previous research suggests that the measurement of hopelessness has not been independent of social desirability. Consequently, the relationship of hopelessness to suicidal behavior remains unclear. It is suggested that the theoretical and clinical usefulness of assessing hopelessness depends on the use of theoretically explicit instruments to assess independently content and response styles with clinically relevant populations.