Understanding the Relation Between Self-Compassion and Suicide Risk Among Adolescents in a Post-disaster Context: Mediating Roles of Gratitude and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

Background The suicide risk among adolescents post-earthquake remains an important issue in trauma psychology. While existing studies and theories suggest that factors such as self-compassion, gratitude, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) play roles in the risk of suicide, few studies have combined these factors to explore the relationship between them. Objective This study examined the mediating roles of gratitude and PTSD in the relationship between self-compassion and suicide risk among Chinese adolescents after the Ya’an earthquake. Methods Four and a half years after the Ya’an earthquake, 499 middle school students in Lushan County were assessed using the following systems: Measures of Self-Compassion Scale, Gratitude Questionnaire, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, and Child Behavior Problems Questionnaire. Results When we controlled for gender, age, and traumatic exposure, in the direct effect model, positive self-compassion had a negative effect on suicide risk, and negative self-compassion had a positive effect on suicide risk. In the indirect effects model, both positive self-compassion and negative self-compassion had no significant direct effect on suicide risk. Moreover, we found an indirect and negative effect of positive self-compassion on suicide risk via gratitude and PTSD, as well as via an indirect path from gratitude to PTSD. On the other hand, we also found an indirect and positive effect of negative self-compassion on suicide risk via gratitude and PTSD, as well as via an indirect path from gratitude to PTSD. Conclusion Positive self-compassion reduces the risk of suicide, while negative self-compassion increases the risk of suicide. Gratitude and PTSD play significant mediating role between self-compassion and suicide risk.

Predictors for psychological distress of young burn survivors across three years: A cohort study of a burn disaster in Taiwan

“…Several studies have demonstrated that elevated psychological distress was commonly observed following disasters (Jafari et al, 2020;Liu et al, 2020). The major mental health symptoms that impacted post-burn distress including depression or anxiety have been found to have a significant correlation with suicide (Johnson et al, 2018).…”

“…Studies have demonstrated that psychological distress was likely to occur in the wake of disaster experiences (Jafari et al, 2020;Paton, 2019). Both pre-disaster psychological conditions and post-disaster variables have been identified as one of the predictors of health problems after disasters, however, post-disaster stress may have more impact on the mental well-being of survivors (Liu et al, 2020;Math et al, 2015). Moreover, post-disaster stress and its associated mental health problems were shown to be attributable to suicidal behaviors (Jafari et al, 2020).…”

You Hurt Me, so I Hurt Myself and Others: How Does Childhood Emotional Maltreatment Affect Adolescent Violent Behavior and Suicidal Ideation?

“…The scale contains seven aspects of problems, including violent behavior, suicidal ideation, and sleep problems. Three items are used to assess violence (e.g., “violent conflict with others” and “quarrel with others”) and three items are used to assess suicidal ideation (e.g., “thoughts of suicide” and “preparing for suicide”) (Liu et al, 2020). The Cronbach’s α was 0.77 for violent behavior and was 0.90 for suicidal ideation of all students.…”

Relationship between self-compassion and nonsuicidal self-injury in middle school students after earthquake: Gender differences in the mediating effects of gratitude and posttraumatic growth.

“…As a major traumatic event, earthquakes seriously threaten the safety of people. Research has also revealed that earthquakes not only impair people's mental health but also cause them to develop maladaptive behavior patterns, such as substance abuse, self-harm, and suicide (Liu et al, 2020; Pollice et al, 2011).…”

“…As self-attitude makes people experience painful emotions after trauma, NSC amplifies negative emotions and cognition, thereby utilizing multiple cognitive resources, which may not be conducive to feeling complete gratitude when they receive help from others. In a study on the effects of earthquakes on adolescents, PSC was found to considerably increase their gratitude levels, and NSC exhibited a negative effect on gratitude (Liu et al, 2020).…”