%0 Journal Article
%T Is shyness related to depression and suicide risk?
%J Scandinavian journal of psychology
%D 2024
%A Nudelman, Gabriel
%A Carmeli, Hadas S.
%A Hamdan, Sami
%V ePub
%N ePub
%P ePub-ePub
%X INTRODUCTION: Suicidal behavior is an important health issue, representing a leading cause of mortality, particularly among young adults. Depression was found to be predictive of suicide risk and predicted by shyness. Consequently, we tested a model wherein shyness leads to depression, which in turn leads to suicide risk. Moreover, we expected gender to moderate the effect of shyness on depression and suicide risk. <br><br>METHODS: A convenience sample of 478 first-year college students (51% women, Age: M = 25.42, SD = 3.61) completed online self-report questionnaires assessing suicide risk, depression, shyness, and demographic variables. <br><br>RESULTS: As expected, shyness was significantly correlated with depression (r = 0.40) and suicide risk (r = 0.24), and depression and suicide risk were also correlated with each other (r = 0.57). Depression statistically mediated the relationship between shyness and suicide risk (indirect effect for women = 0.92, SE = 0.16; for men = 0.72, SE = 0.17). Gender did not moderate the mediation effect. However, a direct link between shyness and suicide risk was found only among men (direct effect = 0.52, SE = 0.21). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that shyness may be a significant factor in the development of depression and suicide risk, potentially serving as a valuable marker for identifying at-risk individuals. Moreover, clinicians should be aware of these associations, particularly among men, in order to maintain and support mental health as well as reduce suicidality.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I John Wiley and Sons
%@ 0036-5564
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sjop.13047