Citation

Mraz W, Runco MA. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1994; 24(1): 38-47.

Affiliation

California State University, Fullerton 92634.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8203007

Abstract

This investigation utilized the recent technology for the assessment of creativity to examine the association between problem solving and suicide ideation. Three kinds of problem-finding and -solving tasks were administered to 81 (nonclinical) college students. One of these tasks assesses "problem generation" and was expected to be particularly informative, given that individuals considering suicide may perceive many problems but find few solutions. Results supported this expectation: Problem generation scores were significantly correlated with suicide ideation, even after stress was statistically controlled. A secondary analysis suggested that the originality and flexibility of solutions may be influenced by the particular problem an individual faces.