Few empirical studies have focused on the associations among suicide proneness, hopelessness, and depression cross-culturally. The current study examined the potential to determine differences in the overall expression of suicide proneness between Japanese (n = 396) as compared with U.S. (n = 417) college students. Depressive symptoms were considered as a potential mediator of the relation between hopelessness and suicide proneness in both samples of students. Preliminary analyses focused on estimates of internal consistency reliability and differential item functioning (DIF) on the measures of hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and suicide proneness. Results of the primary analyses revealed that Japanese students reported more suicide proneness, greater hopelessness, and higher levels of depressive symptoms than did U.S. students. As expected, hopelessness and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with suicide proneness in both cultures. Additionally, the hopelessness-suicide proneness link was significantly mediated by depressive symptoms in both samples. Implications are offered for improved identification and treatment of college students at risk of suicidal behaviors both in the United States and in Japan.
This study considered whether suicide acceptability and emotional expressivity were associated with suicide proneness in American and Japanese women and men. Participants included 417 (283 women, 134 men) American and 396 (243 women, 150 men) Japanese college students. Regression models indicated that suicide acceptability predicted unique variance in suicide proneness for both American and Japanese women and men. However, emotional expressivity contributed to understanding the suicide proneness of American college students only. Culturally appropriate prevention and intervention implications associated with reducing suicide acceptance and cultivating well-being and resiliency are offered.
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