Arielle H Sheftall1, Sarah J Schoppe-Sullivan2, Jeffrey A Bridge3. 1. <location>The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA</location> 2. <location>Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA</location> 3. <location>The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA</location> <location>Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA</location>
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Suicide among adolescents is an important public health problem. One risk factor for youth suicidal behavior that has been underexplored is insecure attachment. AIMS: To investigate the association between attachment avoidance/anxiety and suicidal behavior in an adolescent sample. METHOD: This study examined attachment insecurity in 40 adolescents who had attempted suicide and 40 never-suicidal demographically matched youths. Adolescents completed self-report measures of attachment style, family alliance, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Suicide attempters reported significantly higher attachment avoidance and anxiety. Attachment avoidance, but not anxiety, predicted suicide attempt status in a conditional logistic regression analysis that controlled for depressive symptoms and family alliance. CONCLUSION: Future research should determine the relative utility of attachment insecurity in prospectively predicting suicide attempts and investigate potential mediators and moderators of this association. Implications for clinicians working with suicidal youth with insecure attachment styles are discussed.
BACKGROUND: Suicide among adolescents is an important public health problem. One risk factor for youth suicidal behavior that has been underexplored is insecure attachment. AIMS: To investigate the association between attachment avoidance/anxiety and suicidal behavior in an adolescent sample. METHOD: This study examined attachment insecurity in 40 adolescents who had attempted suicide and 40 never-suicidal demographically matched youths. Adolescents completed self-report measures of attachment style, family alliance, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Suicide attempters reported significantly higher attachment avoidance and anxiety. Attachment avoidance, but not anxiety, predicted suicide attempt status in a conditional logistic regression analysis that controlled for depressive symptoms and family alliance. CONCLUSION: Future research should determine the relative utility of attachment insecurity in prospectively predicting suicide attempts and investigate potential mediators and moderators of this association. Implications for clinicians working with suicidal youth with insecure attachment styles are discussed.
Authors: Jeffrey A Bridge; Sandra M McBee-Strayer; Elizabeth A Cannon; Arielle H Sheftall; Brady Reynolds; John V Campo; Kathleen A Pajer; Rémy P Barbe; David A Brent Journal: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2012-02-22 Impact factor: 8.829
Authors: D Lizardi; M F Grunebaum; A Burke; B Stanley; J J Mann; J Harkavy-Friedman; M Oquendo Journal: Acta Psychiatr Scand Date: 2011-06-03 Impact factor: 6.392
Authors: Danice K Eaton; Laura Kann; Steve Kinchen; Shari Shanklin; Katherine H Flint; Joseph Hawkins; William A Harris; Richard Lowry; Tim McManus; David Chyen; Lisa Whittle; Connie Lim; Howell Wechsler Journal: MMWR Surveill Summ Date: 2012-06-08
Authors: P Mortier; K Demyttenaere; R P Auerbach; P Cuijpers; J G Green; G Kiekens; R C Kessler; M K Nock; A M Zaslavsky; R Bruffaerts Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2016-09-28 Impact factor: 4.839
Authors: Giorgio Falgares; Daniela Marchetti; Sandro De Santis; Danilo Carrozzino; Daniel C Kopala-Sibley; Mario Fulcheri; Maria Cristina Verrocchio Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2017-03-10 Impact factor: 4.157
Authors: Xavier Alvarez-Subiela; Carmina Castellano-Tejedor; Francisco Villar-Cabeza; Mar Vila-Grifoll; Diego Palao-Vidal Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-08-11 Impact factor: 4.614