Katherine C Cunningham1, Stefanie T LoSavio2, Paul A Dennis2, Chloe Farmer3, Carolina P Clancy4, Michael A Hertzberg5, Nathan A Kimbrel6, Patrick S Calhoun6, Jean C Beckham6. 1. Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; The VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center,Durham, NC, United States. Electronic address: katherine-cunningham@utulsa.edu. 2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States. 3. NeuroCog Trials, Durham, NC, United States. 4. Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States. 5. Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States. 6. Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States; The VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center,Durham, NC, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Suicidal ideation is a problem that disproportionately affects veterans. Moreover, veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to be at particularly high risk for suicide. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present research was to examine whether shame mediates the association between PTSD and suicidal ideation. METHODS: Secondary analyses were conducted in a sample of 201 veterans with PTSD seeking care through an outpatient Veterans Affairs specialty PTSD clinic. RESULTS: Path analysis revealed that shame fully accounted for the effects of PTSD on suicidal ideation, suggesting that shame may represent a key link between PTSD and suicidal ideation among veterans. LIMITATIONS: Although the reverse mediation effect was also examined, the present sample was cross-sectional and predominantly male. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that shame may be an effective point of treatment intervention to reduce suicidal ideation among veterans with PTSD; however, additional prospective research is still needed to delineate the precise nature of these associations over time. Published by Elsevier B.V.
BACKGROUND: Suicidal ideation is a problem that disproportionately affects veterans. Moreover, veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to be at particularly high risk for suicide. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present research was to examine whether shame mediates the association between PTSD and suicidal ideation. METHODS: Secondary analyses were conducted in a sample of 201 veterans with PTSD seeking care through an outpatient Veterans Affairs specialty PTSD clinic. RESULTS: Path analysis revealed that shame fully accounted for the effects of PTSD on suicidal ideation, suggesting that shame may represent a key link between PTSD and suicidal ideation among veterans. LIMITATIONS: Although the reverse mediation effect was also examined, the present sample was cross-sectional and predominantly male. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that shame may be an effective point of treatment intervention to reduce suicidal ideation among veterans with PTSD; however, additional prospective research is still needed to delineate the precise nature of these associations over time. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Authors: Katherine C Cunningham; Frances M Aunon; Tapan A Patel; Adam J Mann; Bryann B DeBeer; Eric C Meyer; Sandra B Morissette; Paul J Silvia; Kim L Gratz; Patrick S Calhoun; Jean C Beckham; Nathan A Kimbrel Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2021-03-15 Impact factor: 4.839