Mother–Daughter Interpersonal Processes Underlying the Association Between Child Maltreatment and Adolescent Suicide Ideation

Abstract

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate whether mother‐daughter relationship quality and mother‐daughter conflict represent mechanisms underlying the association between child maltreatment and adolescent passive or active suicide ideation. Method The sample included 164 socioeconomically disadvantaged depressed adolescent girls and their mothers (adolescents: mean age = 14.00 years; 66.3% African‐American, 21.3% white, 14.0% Latina). Structural equation modeling was used to test three simultaneous and distinct mediating pathways linking child maltreatment to adolescent suicide ideation: (1) mother‐daughter relationship quality, (2) mother‐daughter conflict, and 3) adolescent depressive symptoms. Results Consistent with the interpersonal‐psychological theory of suicide (Joiner, Why people die by suicide, 2005, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA), both mother‐daughter relationship quality and mother‐daughter conflict mediated the effect of child maltreatment on adolescent suicide ideation, over and above the significant depressive symptoms mediational pathway. Conclusions These findings advance our understanding of why individuals who experienced child maltreatment are at risk for suicide ideation and highlight the importance of relationship‐based interventions for these vulnerable youths.

Association of Childhood Maltreatment With Suicide Behaviors Among Young People

“…However, an additional 328 studies were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria for this review. This process left 79 individual studies eligible for inclusion 24 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 ,…”

Characterizing the phenomenology of passive suicidal ideation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of its prevalence, psychiatric comorbidity, correlates, and comparisons with active suicidal ideation

“…After this initial screen, 344 additional reports were excluded based on a detailed full-text review, resulting in 93 studies satisfying the eligibility criteria. Additional data required for meta-analysis were obtained from the authors of seven of these studies (Barrigón et al, 2017; Glassmire, Tarescavage, Burchett, Martinez, & Gomez, 2016; Guidry & Cukrowicz, 2016; Handley, Adams, Manly, Cicchetti, & Toth, 2019; Jahn, Poindexter, Graham, & Cukrowicz, 2012; Rufino, Viswanath, Wagner, & Patriquin, 2018; Tal et al, 2017). Five studies included prevalence data for which not enough unique effects existed for meta-analysis (e.g.…”

Patterns of Dating Violence Moderate the Effect of Child Maltreatment on Suicide Risk among Disadvantaged Minority Female Adolescents with Depressive Symptoms

“…Depressive symptoms Adolescents self-reported on their past two-week depressive symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory for Youth (BDI-Y; Beck et al 2005). Consistent with prior literature, suicidal ideation items (items #4 and #21) were omitted from the BDI-Y total depressive score (i.e., Handley et al 2018). This was done to avoid item overlap with the outcome variables and avoid an artificial inflation of the association between depressive symptoms and suiciderelated outcomes.…”

“…Within the United States, child abuse and neglect are ubiquitous, with approximately 670,000 children found to be victims of child maltreatment in 2017 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2017). Child maltreatment is associated with a myriad of adverse psychological sequelae such as nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviors among maltreated youths (Glassman et al 2007;Handley et al 2018;Miller et al 2013). Moreover, self-reported child maltreatment is associated with an almost two-fold increase in suicide attempts in adulthood, even after controlling for other financial and psychological factors (Martin et al 2016).…”

“…For instance, maltreated youth who are at increased risk for suicidal ideation and attempts are those with less perceived social support (Esposito and Clum 2002;Miller et al 2013). Impaired relationship quality and conflictual relationships with caregivers also mediate the link between a childhood history of maltreatment and adolescent suicidal ideation (Handley et al 2018). However, much less is known about how conflicts in other salient interpersonal domains, such as the presence of violence in early romantic relationships, contribute to increased self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among maltreated adolescents.…”