Self‐conscious emotions and suicidal ideation among women with and without history of childhood sexual abuse

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundSuicidal ideation and the self‐conscious emotions of guilt and shame are frequently encountered in psychotherapy. However, research regarding the relationship between self‐conscious emotions and suicidal thoughts has been limited, particularly in the context of women's experiences of childhood sexual abuse.AimsThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between suicidal ideation and experiences of guilt and shame among women seeking psychotherapy, and to examine the role of childhood sexual trauma in this relationship.Materials and MethodsParticipants were 68 women attending an outpatient psychotherapy clinic who completed questionnaire measures of depression, guilt and shame, suicidal ideation, and childhood trauma.ResultsZero‐order and partial correlations found direct positive associations between frequency of suicidal thoughts and both guilt and shame. Hierarchical regression analysis found significant interactions between sexual abuse and self‐conscious emotions. Among women without a history of sexual abuse, frequency of suicidal ideation was associated with guilt. Among women who had suffered childhood sexual trauma, frequency of suicidal ideation was associated with shame.DiscussionThese preliminary findings suggest that shame may be an important target in therapy for women with sexual abuse trauma, and indicate directions for future research.ConclusionClinicians addressing suicidal ideation need to consider the nuanced relationship between self‐conscious emotions and clients’ experience of trauma.