Idiocentrism, Allocentrism, Psychological Well Being and Suicidal Ideation: a Cross Cultural Study

The present study examined the relationship between idiocentrism, allocentrism, psychological well-being & suicide ideation among 283 American college students & 343 Chinese college students. As predicted, high levels of suicide ideation were correlated with more idiocentrism, but only for women. Allocentrism was related to lower levels of suicide ideation in both cultures, but the relationship was small. As suicide prevention may start from suicide ideation treatment, the treatment of suicide ideation may have to take into account cultural & personal characteristics, such as idiocentrism. (46 refs.)