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Emotional variability and late adolescent suicidal ideation: Buffering role of parent–youth connectedness

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Emotional variability has been identified as a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology. This study explored the cross-sectional and prospective associations between emotional variability and suicidal ideation and examined the moderating role of parent-adolescent connectedness. METHODS: Participants included 108 Taiwanese late adolescents (Mage = 18.53, SDage = 0.39; 64% female) who completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) over 14 days, and baseline and follow-up assessments over 6 months. RESULTS: Results indicated that while negative emotional (NE) and positive emotional (PE) variability were not associated with suicidal ideation at baseline, both predicted increased suicidal ideation 6 months later. Furthermore, parent-adolescent connectedness moderated the relationship between NE variability and suicidal ideation, with high connectedness mitigating the adverse effects of NE variability. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that emotional variability is a key predictor for the development of suicidal ideation and highlight the protective role of parent-adolescent connectedness. Interventions promoting family connectedness may be effective in reducing suicidal risk among emotionally variable youth.

Source: Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior

DOI: 10.1111/sltb.13146

Authors: Shou‐Chun Chiang, Shi‐Jane Ting, Sung Yu‐Hsien

Institutions: Texas Tech University, Pennsylvania State University, National Chengchi University, National Sun Yat-sen University

Language: English

Topic: Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse