Meaning in life mediates the association between depressive symptoms and future frequency of suicidal ideation in Spanish university students: A longitudinal study

Introduction There is a need for longitudinal studies that focus on protective factors against suicide in Spain. We analyzed the estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation in a sample of Spanish university students. Second, we explored the relationship between future suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation at T1, and meaning in life and its dimensions of […]

Reasons for living, meaning in life, and suicide ideation: Investigating the roles of key positive psychological factors in reducing suicide risk in community-residing older adults

Objectives: To investigate the roles of reasons for living (RFL) and meaning in life (MIL) in potentially promoting mental health and well-being and protecting against suicide ideation among community-residing older adults and to investigate the psychometric properties of the Reasons for Living Scale-Older Adult version (RFL-OA). Method: Of 173 older adults initially recruited into a longitudinal study […]

Religious/spiritual struggles and suicide ideation among adult psychiatric outpatients: A 12-month longitudinal study

Background Initial empirical evidence links religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles to suicide ideation. However, few longitudinal studies have examined the temporal associations of R/S struggles and suicide ideation, and none have focused on treatment-seeking individuals. This study addresses these gaps. Methods We assessed suicide ideation and six subtypes of R/S struggles in a sample of adult psychiatric […]

Long story short, I survived: An exploration of the meaning-making stories of suicide attempt survivors

his study aimed to explore how suicide attempt survivors construe meaning in their experiences. Using the case study approach by Robert Yin (2009), qualitative research was employed. Purposive and snowballing techniques were used to gather data from primary interviews, key informants, and psychological assessment tools. The analytic techniques were thematic and cross-case syntheses. The findings […]

After a suicide death in a high school: Exploring students’ perspectives

By the time they leave high school, 17% of adolescents will have experienced the suicide death of a friend, peer, or classmate. While some will be unaffected or experience a brief period of distress following the death, for others the death will cause significant disruption and distress, even increasing their risk of suicidal thoughts and […]

Moderating effects of suicide resilience and meaning in life on the association between entrapment and suicidal ideation in Chinese patients with ovarian cancer: A cross-sectional study

Background: Numerous studies have confirmed that patients with ovarian cancer have a relatively high risk of suicidality. Early identification of psychological factors related to suicidal ideation in patients with ovarian cancer may provide effective information for suicide prevention strategies. This study aimed to investigate whether and how suicide resilience and meaning in life moderate the […]

Unpacking the meaning of closeness, reconsidering the concept of impact in suicide exposure, and expanding beyond bereavement: “Just, I hope you don’t forget about us”

Suicide exposure research has relied on samples of treatment-seeking kin, resulting in an attachment-based model centering bereavement as the most significant form of impact and obscuring other forms of significant and  life-altering impact. From a community-based sample (N = 3010) exposed to suicide, we examine a subset (n = 104) with perceived high impact from […]

A loss by suicide: The relationship between meaning-making, post-traumatic growth, and complicated grief

Meaning making has been found useful in processing grief, yet individuals who have experienced a loss by suicide may have difficulty with post-loss adjustment due to the traumatic nature of their loss. Through quantitative study, this article acts as an initial exploratory study and examines the relationship between meaning-making, post-traumatic growth, and complicated grief symptoms […]

An investigation of the relationships between suicidal ideation, psychache, and meaning in life using network analysis

Background Previous studies have investigated the relationships between psychache or meaning in life and suicidal ideation based on sum score of corresponding scale. However, this practice has hampered the fine-grained understanding of their relationships. This network analysis study aimed to conduct a dimension-level analysis of these constructs and the relationships among them in a joint […]

An investigation of the relationships between suicidal ideation, psychache, and meaning in life using network analysis

Background Previous studies have investigated the relationships between psychache or meaning in life and suicidal ideation based on sum score of corresponding scale. However, this practice has hampered the fine-grained understanding of their relationships. This network analysis study aimed to conduct a dimension-level analysis of these constructs and the relationships among them in a joint […]

Meaning in life as a protective factor against suicidal tendencies in Chinese university students

Background A substantial increase in rates of suicide worldwide, especially among late adolescents and young adults, has been observed. It is important to identify specific risk and protective factors for suicide-related behaviors among late adolescents and young adults. Identifying specific factors across the masses, not only in the Western, but also in the Asian context, […]

Perceived stress from interpersonal relations predicts suicidal ideation in Chinese university students: Roles of meaning in life and coping humor

Existing studies emphasize that interpersonal relationships are closely associated with the increased risk of suicidal ideation (SI). However, the mechanism underlying this association remains poorly understood. In this study, we  investigated how and under what conditions the perceived stress from interpersonal relations links to SI. Also we explored the possible important roles of meaning in […]

The relationships between suicidal ideation, meaning in life, and affect: A network analysis

Transitioning from holistic analysis to a fine-grained level analysis may provide further understanding of psychopathology. This study aimed to explore dimension-level relationships between suicidal ideation, meaning in life, and affect in a joint framework using network analysis and to identify potential prevention and intervention targets to address suicidal ideation. A total of 852 healthy adults […]

Entrapment and suicidal ideation: The protective roles of presence of life meaning and reasons for living

Objective The integrated motivational–volitional model of suicide proposes that feelings of entrapment play a key role in the development of suicidal ideation. The model also posits a set of motivational moderators which either facilitate or hinder the development of suicidal thinking when entrapment is present. These motivational moderators include factors such as attitudes, future goals, […]

Meaning in life moderates relations between personality and temperament and nonsuicidal self-injury in hospitalized adolescents

Previous research indicates that sensation seeking, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity are predictive of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). A body of research supports that meaning in life predicts improved mental health and well-being, including fewer suicidal thoughts and attempts, yet no research has examined the moderating effects of meaning in life on the relations between personality and […]

Meaning in life as a mediator of the associations among depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation: A path analysis

Introduction Meaning in life can be good protective factor against depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Aim To analyse the mediating effect of meaning in life on the associations among hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation. Method A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 90 patients diagnosed with depression. A structural equation modelling approach was applied for this […]

Meanings of loss among Japanese suicide bereaved: Content analysis of open-ended responses

Although the importance of meaning‐making among suicide bereaved has been reported, the detailed contents of the process remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the content categories of sense‐making and benefit‐finding in Japanese suicide loss survivors. We conducted content analysis of responses to open‐ended questions in 99 participants. The results indicated that sense‐making activities comprised […]

Meaning-centered men’s groups: Initial findings of an intervention to enhance resiliency and reduce suicide risk in men facing retirement

Objectives: To assess the preliminary effectiveness of Meaning-Centered Men’s Groups (MCMG), a 12-session existentially-oriented, community-based, psychological group intervention designed to enhance psychological resiliency and prevent the onset or exacerbation of suicide ideation among men who are concerned about or struggling with the transition to retirement. Methods: We recruited 30 men (n= 10 per group), 55 […]

What does it mean to be exposed to suicide? Suicide exposure, suicide risk, and the importance of meaning-making

Current research indicates that exposure to suicide is a risk factor for suicidality; however, we know little about the mechanisms through which exposure confers this risk. In this study, we address this gap by examining the role of meaning-making after a suicide death in moderating individual’s vulnerability to suicide. We draw on interview data with […]

Childhood sexual abuse and suicidal ideation among bipolar patients: Existential but not religious well-being as a protective factor

Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) are at an increased risk of Suicidal ideation, attempts, and death. Moreover, a strong association exists between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and suicidal ideation among individuals with BD. Yet growing evidence suggests that existential well‐being (EWB) may be a protective factor against suicidality. In this study, adult BD patients […]

Crisis of meaning predicts suicidality in youth independently of depression

Background: At times, the question for meaning comes to nothing and a crisis of meaning ensues. This state is very painful, but difficult to account. Both those who suffer from it and care professionals find themselves at a loss for words. Aims: This study introduces an operationalization of a crisis of meaning. It aims to distinguish the […]

Experimentally-enhanced perceptions of meaning confer resilience to the interpersonal adversity implicated in suicide risk

Background and Objectives The interpersonal theory of suicide proposes that perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness (PB-TB) are proximal causes of suicidal desire. Here we test whether experimentally induced perceptions of meaningfulness can confer resilience against interpersonal adversity and enhance persistence, the erosion of which is a potential antecedent to suicide risk. Methods Undergraduate university students (N = 93) […]

Prolonged grief symptomatology following violent loss: The mediating role of meaning

Background: Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is over-represented among those who have lost loved ones to violent causes. To tailor PGD interventions for this vulnerable population it is critical to examine the aetiology of PGD specifically in the context of violent death bereavement. Previous studies have suggested that violent loss increases symptoms of PGD by hindering the […]