Abstract
Adult-based suicide theories have determined much of what we know about suicidal ideation. Here, we investigate the extent to which elements of the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) model generalize to adolescence, a period when rates of suicidal ideation increase dramatically. In a sample of community-based adolescents (n = 74), we tested whether defeat and entrapment related to suicidal ideation, and whether poor positive future thinking abilities exacerbated this association. Consistent with the IMV model, we found that defeat/entrapment was associated specifically with history of suicidal ideation, and not with history of suicide attempt. Defeat/entrapment was related to baseline suicidal ideation severity above and beyond depressive symptoms. While defeat/entrapment predicted future suicidal ideation controlling for history of ideation, it did not do so controlling for depressive symptoms. Counter to the IMV model, we initially found that the association between defeat/entrapment and suicidal ideation was strongest among adolescents with greater positive future thinking abilities. This was driven by the tendency to imagine more positive future events, particularly those that are less realistic and achievable. These findings call for a more nuanced understanding of defeat/entrapment and positive future thinking among adolescents, particularly in how they interact to predict recurrent suicidal ideation.
Highlights
16–18% of adolescents report experiencing suicidal ideation each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2015, Ivey-Stephenson et al, 2020), and approximately one-third of suicidal adolescents go on to attempt suicide (Nock et al, 2013)
Defeat/ entrapment was associated with history of suicidal ideation, as demonstrated by a significant cross-sectional association between defeat/entrapment and ideation severity, and differences in defeat/entrapment between adolescents with and without a history of suicidal ideation
This association was not accounted for by depressive symptoms. These cross-sectional findings align with the Integrated MotivationalVolitional (IMV) model’s emphasis on the role of defeat/entrapment in explaining suicidal ideation, and shows that such associations exist in adolescence
Summary
16–18% of adolescents report experiencing suicidal ideation each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2015, Ivey-Stephenson et al, 2020), and approximately one-third of suicidal adolescents go on to attempt suicide (Nock et al, 2013). Despite the prevalence and severity of these outcomes, our understanding of why suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) emerge and persist during adolescence is limited. Adult samples account for a majority of the risk factor literature over the past 50 years (Franklin et al, 2017). This discrepancy is puzzling, given that rates of suicidal ideation escalate dramatically between the ages of 12. Testing Suicide Theories Among Adolescents and 17 (Nock et al, 2008, 2013), and suicidal thoughts may transition quickly to behaviors among this age group (Glenn et al, 2017a). Adolescence represents a high-risk period for onset of STBs, yet these outcomes are notably understudied in this population
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
