Prospective Study on Suicidal Ideation Among Japanese Undergraduate Students: Correlation with Stressful Life Events, Depression, and Depressogenic Cognitive Patterns

Abstract

The present study examines the effects of stressful life events, depression, and depressogenic cognitive patterns on suicidal ideation in 500 Japanese undergraduate students. The above factors were assessed at baseline (T1) and two weeks later (T3). At T1, structural equation modeling confirmed that (1) cognitive patterns and depression, but not stressful life events, influence suicidal ideation, and (2) cognitive patterns also influence suicidal ideation through depression. These findings were confirmed in a longitudinal analysis. The results suggest that the effects of stressful life events on suicidal ideation are indirect and are mediated by depressogenic cognitive styles and depressed mood.

Self‐Determination: A Buffer Against Suicide Ideation

“…The present findings have important implications both for the literature on suicide ideation and for SDT (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000). The study first replicates the link between negative life events and suicide ideation and confirms that suicidal thoughts occur when individuals are experiencing challenging situations (Arie et al., 2008; Hiramura et al., 2008; Yen et al., 2005). It also furthers our understanding of the processes underlying the relation between negative life events and suicide ideation by documenting the mediating role of hopelessness.…”

“…Yet, as many researchers (Dixon et al., 1992; Konick & Gutierrez, 2005; Rudd, 1990; Sandin, Chorot, Santed, Valiente, & Joiner, 1998) have emphasized, the intrapersonal processes through which negative life events lead to suicide ideation are still misunderstood. A growing body of literature points to hopelessness (Dixon et al., 1992; Hiramura et al., 2008; Konick & Gutierrez, 2005) as a powerful intrapersonal determinant of suicide ideation. For this research, hopelessness was defined as “the feeling that highly desired outcomes will not occur, or that highly aversive outcomes will occur, coupled with an expectation that no response in one’s repertoire will change the likelihood of occurrence of these outcomes” (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989; p. 359).…”

“…For this research, hopelessness was defined as “the feeling that highly desired outcomes will not occur, or that highly aversive outcomes will occur, coupled with an expectation that no response in one’s repertoire will change the likelihood of occurrence of these outcomes” (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989; p. 359). Numerous studies conducted with different samples (e.g., ethnically diverse college students, people older than 50) have found hopelessness to be a predictor of suicidal behavior (Beck, Steer, Kovacs, & Garrison, 1985; Chan et al., 2009; Conner, Conwell, & Duberstein, 2001; Dixon et al., 1992; Hiramura et al., 2008; Konick & Gutierrez, 2005; Kuo, Gallo, & Eaton, 2004; Spirito, Brown, Overholster, & Fritz, 1989; Spirito, Williams, Stark, & Hart, 1988). In turn, research confirms that negative life events predict hopelessness (Arie, Apter, Orbach, Yefet, & Zalzman, 2008; Dixon et al., 1992; Konick & Gutierrez, 2005; Rudd, 1990).…”

Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation in Chinese College Students: A Meta-Analysis

“…Personality disorder in adults with suicidal ideation is more common than adolescents, indicating that adolescents with personality disorder are easily addicted to drug abuse and more likely to develop suicidal ideation [63] . Sexual orientation will greatly affect the suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors of the youths, which is regulated by depression, hopelessness and drug abuse [64] – [65] .…”

Mental Health and Well-Being of University Students in Okinawa

“…e World Health Organization declared Japan to have the second highest number of cases for depressive and anxiety disorders, with over 5 million and 3 million cases, respectively [21]. With 41% of suicides relating to mental health, the high prevalence of mental health issues has led Japan to have higher suicide rates than any other developed country and contribute to suicide's status as the leading cause of death amongst the 20 to 29 years old in Japan [21][22][23][24]. Depression and anxiety diagnoses increased during the 2005-2015 period, and the prevalence of depression and anxiety among university student population is a contributing factor to the spread of these mental health issues [21,25].…”