Interpersonal-psychological Theory Of Suicide Research Articles

Acquired Capability for Suicide: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis

While virtually all suicide attempters experience ideations, not all who think about suicide will attempt or die by suicide. The ideation-to-action framework has led to new theories distinguishing suicide ideators from suicide attempters. The framework suggests that suicide progresses on a spectrum of thoughts and behaviors with different identifiers and explanations. The concept of acquired capability for suicide (ACS), conceptualized by the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide, is the first to explain the movement from ideation to action. This concept analysis of ACS is timely and relevant for greater clarification of the role ACS has in the movement from ideation to action. Rodgers’ evolutionary concept analysis method is used. The six-step evolutionary method highlights the concept’s attributes, antecedents, and consequences and provides a basis for further inquiry and development rather than a final definition.

Psychological mechanisms of the development of suicidal ideation: Longitudinal cohort study.

This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of the development of suicidal ideation and its moderating and protective factors. Drawing on the Interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, we proposed that disruptions to belongingness, in conjunction with tolerance of health risk, may influence the development of suicidal ideation above and beyond psychosocial changes such as disruptions to finances and work. The study involved a longitudinal investigation of an Australian representative sample reporting suicidal ideation fortnightly for 12 weeks between March and June 2020. The results indicated that participants who reported higher levels of belongingness, mastery, and intolerance of health risk were less likely to experience suicidal ideation and had lower severity of suicidal ideation. Mastery significantly strengthened the negative link between belongingness and the incidence of suicidal ideation, while agreeableness significantly strengthened the negative link between belongingness and the severity of suicidal ideation over time. The findings suggest that supporting effective social connectedness during times of isolation and promoting self-efficacy, mastery, and regulation of risk tolerance, may be crucial for suicide prevention and therapeutic intervention.

Examining the integrated model of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and intersectionality theory among Black male adolescents.

Guided by Opara etal.'s (2022), Integrated Model of the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide and Intersectionality Theory, the current study examined contextual stressors experienced disparately by Black youth (racial discrimination, poverty, and community violence) as moderators of the association between individual motivating factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and hopelessness) and active suicidal ideation. Participants were 457 Black adolescent boys (mean age = 15.31, SD = 1.26) who completed self-report surveys. As predicted, the association between perceived burdensomeness and active suicidal ideation was significantly moderated by economic stress. In addition, the association between peer belongingness and suicidal ideation was significantly moderated by racial discrimination, but there were no moderating effects for school belongingness. Finally, the association between hopelessness and suicidal ideation was significantly moderated by both racial discrimination and witnessing community violence. These findings highlight the need for research, interventions, and policy work devoted to using integrated approaches of individual and socioeconomically relevant patterns of suicidal thoughts and behaviors to support Black youth exposed to various forms of structural oppression.

School engagement and Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide: Identity groups differences

AbstractThe Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) is a framework for understanding suicidality, yet there is little connection of IPTS to school environment, or exploration of this model within various populations. In this article, we conduct a cross‐sectional assessment in a high school to understand the relationships between student engagement, IPTS, and suicidal behavior, to provide guidance for counseling professionals to target prevention and intervention efforts to increase effectiveness. A total of 1081 high school students participated in the current study. While perceived burdensomeness was found to moderate the relationship of some aspects of student engagement to suicidal behavior, nuances existed in risk factors to suicidal behavior for various identity groups within the school. Findings have implications for prevention and intervention efforts that would be most effective for students with diverse backgrounds.

Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide in Understanding Suicidal Behavior among Adolescents in Nepal

Suicidal behavior, a global public health issue, is one of the prevalent problems among adolescents in Nepal with highest rate of suicidal ideation and higher rates of suicidal attempt among the countries of South East Asia Region (SEAR). The Interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) is a widely used and well-known theory that provides an interpersonal psychological framework which can contribute in understanding suicidal behavior. Although its application is found in international level, the lack of knowledge remains among Nepalese adolescents. Hence, this review is aimed to assess the applicability of IPTS in understanding suicidal behavior of adolescents in Nepal. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases (PubMed, Hinari, Nepjol, Research gate, and Google scholar). A scoping review of the articles published in peer-reviewed journals and grey literatures was done. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) in reporting the review and six-step process recommended by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) was adopted. Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) were used in search strategy which helped in combining key terms. The studies which assessed the relation between the constructs of IPTS i.e., thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness and suicidal behavior among adolescents in Nepal were included, i.e., 14 studies which met the inclusion criteria.The findings revealed various risk factors which support the use of IPTS as those relate with the constructs of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness to explain suicidal behaviors among adolescents. Therefore, the findings indicated the use of the framework provided by IPTS in understanding suicidal behavior among Nepalese adolescents as well as highlighted the importance of interpersonal risk factors to prevent suicidal behavior.

Suicidal Behavior in Eating Disorders

Many studies have shown that people with eating disorders have higher rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicide than the general population. One of the diseases with the highest suicide rate among psychiatric disorders is anorexia nervosa. Some hypotheses have been proposed to explain possible causes of increased suicidal behavior in eating disorders. Some conditions common to eating disorders and suicidal behavior, such as dissatisfaction with the body and interoceptive deficits, have been cited. It has been conclusively shown that psychiatric comorbidity, especially the co-diagnosis of depression, increases the risk of suicide in patients with eating disorders. However, increased suicidal behavior in eating disorders cannot be explained by comorbidity alone. The interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS), developed by Joiner, aims to understand why people commit suicide and to explain the differences in individual suicidal behavior. Some researchers have thought that the increased suicidal behavior of people with eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa patients, is expected from the perspective of IPTS. The compensatory behaviors of patients with eating disorders, such as vomiting or chronic restrictive food intake, are painful and challenging actions for the body. It can be considered that repeated encounters with painful and challenging experiences form a habit in the individual and reduce pain avoidance. When viewed from the IPTS perspective, decreased pain avoidance may explain the increased suicide attempts and completed suicides of individuals. Clinicians working with eating disorder patients must conduct regular and comprehensive assessments of suicide. Comorbidities such as major depression, anxiety disorder, and substance-use disorder should not be overlooked in patients with eating disorders and should be taken seriously.

Rapid screening for suicide risk: An algorithmic approach.

In the United States, primary medical care settings are the first accessed resource for both medical and behavioral health care. Thus, there is a clear need for accurate and efficient behavioral health screening in this setting, including routine surveillance screening for suicide risk. The Multidimensional Behavioral Health Screen (MBHS), a broadband but very brief screening tool developed specifically for primary care, has been updated to include an algorithm that classifies suicide risk based on the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, and associated interview and decision framework. This study aims to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the new MBHS 2.0 suicide risk algorithm, with actual risk determined by clinical suicide risk interview. Data were collected as part of a larger study that, overall, included 551 college student participants. Of these, 309 completed the MBHS 2.0 and the clinical suicide risk interview, the two measures reported here. The final participant count was 299 following the removal of incomplete or invalid cases. Predicted suicide risk as determined by the MBHS 2.0 (Low, Mild, At least Moderate) was compared to actual risk as determined by clinical interview (Low, Moderate, Severe, Extreme). Utilizing chi-square analyses, data show a significant association between the predicted suicide risk category based on the MBHS 2.0 algorithm and the actual risk category based on the semi-structured clinical interview. Furthermore, classification analyses suggest that primary care providers will be able to confidently assess the suicide risk level for the majority of their patients when using the MBHS. Findings suggest that the MBHS 2.0 can be an accurate and efficient tool for use by primary care providers in classifying suicide risk. Future research will be useful to evaluate the utility of the suicide risk algorithm among primary care populations.

Do bipolar disorder symptom profiles matter for suicide risk? A latent class approach to investigating differences in suicidal desire and acquired capability.

Depressive and mixed symptoms in bipolar disorder (BD) have been linked to higher suicide risk. Based on Klonsky and May's three-step theory and Joiner's Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide, we hypothesized that patients diagnosed with BD who reported severe levels of depressive symptoms and mixed depressive and manic symptoms would also report higher levels of suicidal desire and acquired capability of suicide, as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The sample included 177 outpatients diagnosed with BD. Latent class analysis was conducted to replicate the identified groups of a previously conducted study using a smaller but overlapping dataset. Between-class and pairwise analyses with measures of suicidal desire and acquired capability were conducted. As expected, the classes characterized by severe depressive symptoms and mixed symptoms reported higher levels of suicidal desire. However, the results regarding acquired capability were less consistent. Given the overall elevated suicide risk of BD and the consistent relationship between depressive symptoms and other strong correlates of suicide, clinicians who work with patients diagnosed with BD should closely monitor changes in their depressive symptoms.

The Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide in Italian University Students: Validation of the INQ-15 and the ACSS-FAD.

In the frame of the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS), Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ-15) assesses thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB), related to suicidal ideation (SI); Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale-Fearlessness About Death (ACSS-FAD) measures this component which contributes to lethal self-harm. The objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of INQ-15 and ACSS-FAD in a population of Italian university students. Since the Italian INQ-15 was already validated, we translated ACSS-FAD through a multistage procedure and administered both to 1,665 Italian university students. Factor analysis confirmed a two-factor-related model of INQ-15, one factor of ACSS-FAD, and good reliability for both. We proved the association between INQ-15 and current SI and between ACSS-FAD and lifetime suicidal planning and/or suicide attempt. The convergent and discriminant validities were in line with those of previous studies. Both tools are valid and reliable to assess the constructs associated with suicide outcomes according to IPTS.

Effects of Community-Based Caring Contact in Reducing Thwarted Belongingness Among Postdischarge Young Adults With Self-Harm: Randomized Controlled Trial.

For patients with self-harm behaviors, the urge to hurt themselves persists after hospital discharge, leading to costly readmissions and even death. Hence, postdischarge intervention programs that reduce self-harm behavior among patients should be part of a cogent community mental health care policy. We aimed to determine whether a combination of a self-help mobile app and volunteer support could complement treatment as usual (TAU) to reduce the risk of suicide among these patients. We conducted a pragmatic randomized controlled trial on discharged patients aged between 18 and 45 years with self-harm episodes/suicide attempts, all of whom were recruited from 4 hospital emergency departments in Hong Kong. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) mobile app + TAU ("apps"), (2) mobile app + volunteer support + TAU ("volunteers"), or (3) TAU only as the control group ("TAU"). They were asked to submit a mobile app-based questionnaire during 4 measurement time points at monthly intervals. A total of 40 participants were recruited. Blending volunteer care with a preprogrammed mobile app was found to be effective in improving service compliance. Drawing upon the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, our findings suggested that a reduction in perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness through community-based caring contact are linked to improvement in hopelessness, albeit a transient one, and suicide risk. A combination of volunteer care with a self-help mobile app as a strategy for strengthening the continuity of care can be cautiously implemented for discharged patients at risk of self-harm during the transition from the hospital to a community setting. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03081078; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03081078.

Autistic traits and self-harm in adolescents: a study on interpersonal psychological theory of suicide

BackgroundThe purpose of the study was to investigate whether autistic traits predicted the presence and recurrence of self-harm and to determine any relationship mediated by the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS), which composed of the social influence of negative life experiences on suicide, is referred to as "acquired capability", while proximal social risk factors are referred to as "thwarted belonging and perceived burdensomeness."ResultsWe evaluated any interaction with the Autistic Quotient (AQ) score and self-harm whether it was explained by the thwarted belonging/perceived burdensomeness in the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ), victimization in the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ), and maltreatment in the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Communication and social skill as autistic traits predicted the presence of self-harm, yet the association vanished after including thwarted belonging and perceived burdensomeness, which are independent predictors of the presence of self-harm. Social skill and the sum score of autistic traits predicted the recurrence of self-harm, and the prediction was mediated largely by thwarted belonging and much less by perceived burdensomeness.ConclusionsThe unique interaction of autistic traits and IPTS increases the risk of self-harm. Within autistic traits, social skills, in particular, are likely associated to attempts at self-harm through acquired capability. The results of this research were identified as attention to loneliness and social support may be helpful in reducing self-harm in adolescents with autistic traits.

Perceived abusive supervision and graduate students’ suicidal ideation: from the perspective of interpersonal psychological theory of suicide

BackgroundIn recent years, the issue of suicide caused by the stress of a contradictory relationship between graduate students and academic supervisors has aroused heated discussion in society. Based on the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide, this study aims to examine the influence of the perceived abusive supervision on graduate students’ suicidal ideation and the parallel mediating roles of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional online survey measuring perceived abusive supervision, interpersonal psychological needs and suicidal ideation among 232 Chinese graduate students. A structural equation model was constructed to test the hypothesis.ResultsThe results showed that abusive supervision directly exacerbated suicidal ideation (β = 0.160, 95% CI = [0.038, 0.281], p = 0.009) and indirectly influenced suicidal ideation through thwarted belongingness (β = 0.059, 95% CI = [0.008, 0.110], p = 0.019) and perceived burdensomeness (β = 0.102, 95% CI = [0.013, 0.191], p = 0.018). The indirect effect accounted for 50.15% of the overall effect.ConclusionsThese findings enrich our understanding of the influence of supervisor–student relationship by integrating the literatures on educational and organizational behaviour, and provide practical insights for psychosocial interventions from the perspective of the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide.

Suicide risk among residents in a cross-sectional study: the role of the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide

IntroductionThe peculiar requests of postgraduate teaching could affect the students’ lives, predisposing them to mental disorders and suicide risk (e.g. Abreu et al., 2021). The Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) (Joiner, 2005) is a model that has proved useful in explaining this risk.ObjectivesWe analyzed risk factors associated with current suicidal ideation (SI) and history of suicidal planning and/or suicide attempt (SP/SA) in a sample of 97 Italian residents in psychological (n= 17, 17.5%) and medical and health care area (n=80, 82.5%) (mean age 29.18±3.25 SD).MethodsSocio-demographic, psychological (i.e. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory – II; BDI-II, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Reasons For Living Inventory; RFL, Psychache Scale, Mental pain questionnaire; MPQ, Visual Analogue Scale - VAS - on mental pain, Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale-Fearlessness About Death) psychosocial (i.e. Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire; INQ, UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support; MSPSS) and somatic pain features (i.e. VAS, Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire; Self-Awareness Questionnaire; SAQ) were collected through an online questionnaire. We compared residents with SI vs No SI and residents with SP/SA vs No SP/SA and the emerged significant variables, have been inserted in logistic regression models with stepwise method, backward elimination.ResultsThe presence of depression (BDI-II), low reasons for living (RFL), psychological pain (Psychache Scale and MPQ), interoceptive awareness (SAQ), Thwarted Belongingness (TB, INQ subscale), loneliness (UCLA) and low perceived social support (MSPSS) were associated with both current SI and history of SP/SA. Concerning regression models, TB (INQ) increased the likelihood of SI while Survival and Coping Beliefs (RFL subscale) reduced it. The model explained 49% of the variance of SI by correctly predicting 88.7% of SI cases. Perceived social support (MSPSS)reduced the likelihood of current SP/SA levels while interoceptive awareness (SAQ) increased it. This model explained 40% of the variance of SP/SA by correctly predicting 82.5% of suicide risk cases.ConclusionsWe have identified risk and protective factors for suicide, consistent with the IPTS, which can orient the prevention, evaluation and clinical treatment of residents.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Factors linked to suicide risk in a diverse sample of psychiatric patients

IntroductionSuicidal behavior is a global public health problem. Among the most investigated theories for the explanation of suicide there is the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) by Thomas E. Joiner. IPTS focuses on 3 variables related to lethal suicide attempt: thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness and acquired capability for suicide.ObjectivesWe aimed to understand which variables were mostly related to suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) in a sample of psychiatric patients.MethodsA sample of 80 psychiatric patients including inpatients (n=18), outpatients (n=21) and patients from various Italian rehabilitative psychiatric communities (n=41) was recruited between June 7th, 2021 and September 12th, 2022. We administered a battery of various scales, including State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI, Beck Depression Inventory, BDI, Reasons For Living Inventory, RFLI, Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale-Fearlessness About Death, ACSS-FAD, Rosenberg self-esteem scale, RSES, Mental pain questionnaire, MPQ, Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, INQ. For each scale we compared a) patients with and without lifetime SI; b) patients with and without history of SA. Then, we performed two logistic regression models (stepwise backward method), one for SI and one for SA.ResultsBoth patients with SI and SA have higher anxiety (STAI), depression (BDI), mental pain (MPQ), perceived burdensomeness (INQ), thwarted belongingness (INQ), fearlessness about death (ACSS_FAD) and lower self-esteem (RSES), beliefs about coping strategies (RFLI) and moral objections (RFLI). Depression (BDI) and beliefs about coping strategies (RFLI) were the variables most strongly associated with SI; higher fearlessness about death (ACSS-FAD) and low self-esteem levels (RSES) were the variables most strongly associated with history of SA. The SI model was able to predict 84% of ideation cases; the SA model was able to predict 74% of the attempts.ConclusionsThe results supported that improving the ability to cope with suicidal thoughts is a key component of therapeutic work with suicidal patients. In addition, according to the IPTS, the history of SA has been particularly explained by fearlessness about death. Hence it may be important to focus on these aspects in suicide prevention.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Sexual Victimization and Suicide Ideation: An Atemporal Indirect Effects Model

Introduction Suicide is a major public health concern among young adults. Moreover, college students are at elevated risk for sexual victimization, which is associated with elevated suicide risk. Nonetheless, not all college student survivors of sexual victimization think about suicide. Previous research has used the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) as a framework for understanding the association between interpersonal violence victimization and suicide ideation The current study aimed to replicate and extend the results of Poindexter et al. AQ1] by testing the serial indirect effects of IPTS constructs in the relationship between sexual victimization and suicide ideation among a sexually-victimized sample of college students. It was expected that depressive symptoms, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness, in that order, would indirectly affect the association between cumulative sexual victimization history and suicide ideation in the past month. Method Data were collected from 796 college students via online survey. After exclusion criteria, 236 college students who reported at least one lifetime experience of sexual victimization were included in analysis. Results Results indicated that the relationship between cumulative sexual victimization and past-month suicide ideation frequency was indirectly affected by depressive symptoms, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness, in serial. Discussion Results indicated that the indirect effects model proposed by Poindexter et al. was significant in that more frequent lifetime sexual victimization related to more frequent past-month suicide ideation, and this relationship was strengthened indirectly by depressive symptoms, TB, and PB, in that order. Results underscore the importance of screening survivors of sexual victimization for suicide ideation and associated risk factors, specifically depressive symptoms, TB, and PB.

An Integrated Conceptual Model to Understand Suicidality among Queer Youth to Inform Suicide Prevention.

In this article, we apply and combine elements from four theoretical frameworks (i.e., Minority Stress Theory, Person-in-Environment and Risk and Resilience Framework, Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide, and Intersectionality) to explain the problem of queer youth suicide through our integrated conceptual model, Queer Prevention of Youth Suicidality Model (Queer-PRYSM). The need for this conceptual model is based on the current state of the literature, including mixed empirical findings on factors related to queer youth suicidality, no scholarly consensus on specific contributing factors regarding high rates of suicidality among queer youth (including queer youth subgroups), and the absence of a unifying theory to explain the queer youth suicide risk. To address these limitations in theory, evidence, and scholarship explaining suicidality among queer youth we present our integrated model with growing, current, relevant research with queer youth. Queer-PRYSM includes minority stressors specific to queer youth, mental health problems, interpersonal-psychological factors, socioecological factors (i.e., family, school, peers, and community), and intersectionality concepts. Queer-PRYSM is essential to understanding the relationship of distal and proximal risk and protective factors in queer youth suicide and developing evidence-informed suicide preventive interventions that can be incorporated into practice, policy, and system structures.

Examining the association of eating psychopathology with suicidality: Comparing cross-sectional and longitudinal tests of interpersonal-psychological mediators

ABSTRACT Eating disorders (EDs) are associated with high mortality rates from suicide. Empirical tests of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) have provided preliminary cross-sectional support for its application to individuals with EDs. Because IPTS seeks to predict development and changes in suicidal ideation (SI), longitudinal investigations are ideal. The purpose of this study was to conduct cross-sectional and longitudinal mediational tests of the effect of ED psychopathology on SI as explained by perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and hopelessness. Participants were undergraduate students (N = 738) who completed self-report measures of ED symptoms and IPTS variables at up to three time points across 10 weeks. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted on cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Cross-sectional analyses indicate mostly consistent findings with existing literature; however, results from the longitudinal analyses failed to identify any mediational effects of ED psychopathology on SI. These differences emphasize the importance of empirical tests in both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Given the inconsistent results, the utility of IPTS features in explaining the association between ED psychopathology and SI is unclear. Future studies should seek to replicate these findings using other methods of measurement across time (e.g., ecological momentary assessment) and within clinical ED samples.

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning/Queer Two- Spirit Adolescents and Suicidality

Background: At a time when suicides are increasing throughout the United States, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and two spirit (LGBTQ2S) adolescents are at especially high risk for suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicide. Objectives: To 1) provide an overview and clinical perspective on LGBTQ2S suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicide; 2) discuss how the literature maps on to theories of suicide, and also points the way to clinical recommendations; and 3) give recommendations for clinical care based on this evidence. Method: This article uses a narrative review style to discuss the current concerns around LGBTQ2S adolescent suicide. The Social Ecological Model, the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide, and Minority Stress Theory are used describe the manner in which risks are acquired. Results: Emerging research demonstrates risks and protective factors in the lives of LGBTQ2S adolescents. The social context of LGBTQ2S adolescents puts them at risk for internalizing the experiences of discrimination evident in our society, In addition, there are other risk factors frequently associated with their LGBTQ2S status, such as substance misuse, homelessness, and lack of social support . Adolescents of color are especially vulnerable as they experience multiple marginalizations, often living in under resourced communities with poor access to health care. Support to families can be provided in the form of psychoeducation based on research findings. Social support is crucial and can be effectively provided in schools. Access to mental health care needs to be increased and barriers reduced. Conclusion: There is a need for more research, especially prospective study designs and research that centers adolescents of color and homeless adolescents. While there may be barriers to addressing the current rate of suicidality in this population, clinicians who work with adolescents can use a range of therapies to support their LGBTQ2S adolescent patients and their families, decreasing risk of suicidality.

Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted Belongingness and Fearlessness About Death in Italian university students: validation of the INQ-15 and the ACSS-FAD

IntroductionThe Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ-15) and the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale - Fearlessness About Death (ACSS-FAD) have been introduced to evaluate the theoretical constructs posit by Joiner’s Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS).ObjectivesThe present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the INQ-15 (which measures Thwarted Belongingness, TB, and Perceived Burdensomeness, PB) and the ACSS-FAD (measurement of Fearlessness About Death, FAD, dimension of the acquired capability) in a population of Italian university students.MethodsSince there was no Italian version of the ACSS-FAD, we have translated it through an accurate multistage procedure. ACSS-FAD and INQ-15 have been administered to a sample of 1,665 Italian university students. We analyzed the factorial structure of the INQ-15 and the ACSS-FAD, their reliability, criterion, convergent and discriminant validity.ResultsPrincipal Component Analysis confirmed a two-dimensional structure for INQ-15 and a one-factor structure for ACSS-FAD. Internal consistency reliability of the scales was good, respectively TB: α = .85; PB: α = .90; and FAD: α = .85. The INQ-15 demonstrated concurrent associations with suicidal ideation, while the ACSS-FAD with a history of suicidal planning/suicide attempt. Convergent and discriminant validity were also in line with previous studies.ConclusionsBoth INQ-15 and ACSS-FAD appropriately capture the respective constructs, proving to be valid measures for the assessment of suicide risk factors among Italian university students according to the IPTS. The valuable psychometric properties of the two scales established with this study in the Italian context encourages their use to advance the clinical understanding and prevention of suicide.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and the role of psychological pain during the COVID-19 pandemic: A network analysis

IntroductionAmong the most investigated theories explaining suicidal behavior there are the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) by Thomas E. Joiner and the one focused on the construct of psychological pain (or psychache, or mental pain). ObjectiveSince it remains unclear whether these two different theories correlate with each other in the explanation of suicidal risk, we used a network analysis approach to investigate the complex interplay between both IPTS and psychological pain theories and history of suicidal planning and/or suicide attempt (SP/SA). MethodsA sample of 1,586 university students from various Italian universities was recruited between April 24th, 2020 and February 23rd, 2021, hence during the COVID-19 pandemic. To be included subjects should have been university students and aged between 18 and 35 years old. ResultsWithin a network that included the core factors from both models (IPTS and psychological pain), higher fearlessness about death (Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale-Fearlessness About Death, ACSS-FAD) and higher psychological pain (Psychache Scale) were the variables most strongly associated with history of SP/SA. ConclusionsConsidering a large number of variables, history of SP/SA was explained in particular by fearlessness about death and psychological pain in university students. Hence these aspects should be targeted in the treatment for suicide prevention.