The Importance of Coping and Emotion Regulation in the Occurrence of Suicidal Behavior.

Elsie Ong,Catherine Thompson

doi:10.1177/0033294118781855

Abstract

Research has shown that the use of maladaptive coping strategies and difficulties in regulating mood are linked to increasing risk of suicide. This study measured the impact of coping and emotion regulation on suicidal behavior in a sample of Asian students. The aim was to determine whether different coping strategies and methods of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal would be associated with suicidal behavior. One hundred and twenty undergraduate students were recruited from The Open University in Hong Kong and all completed questionnaires that measured coping, emotional regulation, and suicidal behavior. The results showed that increased avoidance coping was associated with increased suicidal behavior, whereas increased cognitive reappraisal was associated with reduced risk of suicidal behavior. Specifically, in an Asian student population, avoidance coping appears to be a risk factor for suicide, while cognitive reappraisal may be seen as a positive, protecting strategy.

Highlights

Suicide is not an isolated process, but rather is conceptualized as a continuum of processes starting with suicide ideation (SI; the recurrent thoughts of committing suicide), moving to the formation of a suicide plan, a suicide attempt, and suicide completion (Lewinsohn, Rohde, & Seeley, 1996)
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the use of specific coping and emotion regulation strategies could statistically predict suicidal behavior in a non-clinical sample of Asian students
This population has a high incidence of suicide, and currently, the findings in this field focus primarily on Western samples

Summary

Introduction

Suicide is not an isolated process, but rather is conceptualized as a continuum of processes starting with suicide ideation (SI; the recurrent thoughts of committing suicide), moving to the formation of a suicide plan, a suicide attempt, and suicide completion (Lewinsohn, Rohde, & Seeley, 1996). Researchers have established risk factors associated with suicide including depression, poor coping abilities, higher avoidance of stressors, and a lack of close social relationships (John & Gross, 2004), the work has had limited success in predicting and preventing suicide based on the identification of these risk factors. This is because many individuals experience similar negative situations but not all will consider suicide (Bazrafshan, Jahangir, Mansouri, & Kashfi, 2014). This raises the question as to whether some individuals may have specific capabilities that make them less prone to suicidal behavior.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion