Citation

Newins AR, Wilson LC, Kimbrel NA. Curr. Psychol. 2021; 40(10): 4930-4936.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12144-019-00436-1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Child maltreatment is a well-established risk factor for suicide attempts, but research on mechanisms accounting for this relationship is needed. The current study examined the indirect effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol misuse in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal ideation. In the current study, 336 participants (Mage = 22.81, SD = 8.84; 70.2% female) completed an online survey. The indirect effect of childhood maltreatment on suicidal ideation via PTSD symptoms was statistically significant (β =.21, p <.001) but the indirect effect via alcohol misuse was not (β =.01, p =.116). Severity of alcohol misuse (b =.13, p =.009) was positively related to suicidal ideation. These findings indicate that PTSD symptoms are one mechanism through which childhood maltreatment increases risk of suicidal ideation. Alcohol misuse is also a direct risk factor for suicidal ideation, but this effect is independent of the effects of childhood maltreatment. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Language: en

Keywords

Child maltreatment; Suicide; PTSD; Alcohol misuse