In this article, we discuss developments over the past two decades in the study of cognition and suicide. We review (a) research identifying cognitive characteristics and vulnerabilities of suicidal individuals, (b) recently developed mediational and multivariate models, (c) recent theoretical advances, and (d) outcome research on therapeutic interventions derived from this body of work. We conclude that significant progress has been made in terms of understanding the interplay of such cognitive processes as hopelessness, problem-solving, and autobiographical memory, and in the development of theory-driven and empirically supported interventions that specifically target suicidal thinking and behavior. We conclude with a discussion of challenging issues in this arena and possible directions for further investigation.

No abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate the potential value of comparing specific attachments to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology in combat veterans with a new measure of attachments. A case series of 22 combat veterans in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center clinic completed PTSD Checklist -Military Version (PCL-M), Trauma Symptom Inventory -2nd Edition, and the Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ) as part of a pilot study for a larger project. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations were used to examine the data. Although there were significant negative correlations between self-rated PTSD symptoms and avoidant (r = −0.44) and ambivalent (r = −0.55) attachment scores towards their mothers, suggesting a novel type of enmeshment, positive correlations were found between PTSD symptoms and avoidant partner attachments scores (r = 0.47). There were no significant correlations between the attachment scales to father and PTSD symptoms. The ACIQ Ambivalent Partner scale was only related to TSI-2 scales Intrusive Experiences (r = −0.44) and Defensive Avoidance (r = −0.44). An exploratory regression model using attachment variables identified from correlations and predicting PCL scores was significant (R 2 = 0.48); however, only Avoidant Partner scale contributed significant variance (β = 0.42, p = 0.024). The potency of the partner scale suggests a potential target for future research and intervention. These data point to new questions to be explored with larger samples and more sophisticated statistical techniques, and further highlighting the complexity of attachment and PTSD. Research suggests that the prevalence rate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in combat veterans is approximately 16 % (Gates et al. 2012). Between 2004 and 2009, the Veterans Health Administration spent approximately $1.4 billion on PTSD treatment (Congressional Budget Office 2012), PTSD research expenditures by the US government were $24.5 million in 2009 (Monegain 2011), and $45 million in research funding was more recently awarded to form the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD in a joint effort by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD 2015). Despite increased research and treatment efforts related to PTSD in veterans, it remains unclear why some suffer a greater number and/or more severe PTSD symptoms than others following similar combat experiences. The relationship of attachments in significant social relationships is one area of research that has received relatively little attention in the literature. If found significant, the contribution of attachment factors to the risk for developing PTSD could provide researchers additional information with which to understand PTSD etiology, and thus inform prevention and policy. Additionally, identification of significant and maladaptive attachment factors in this population could allow clinicians to improve care of veterans by adding specific attachment issue...

Reduced autobiographical memory specificity and executive control have been associated with clinical depression; however, evidence is inconclusive as to whether these impairments represent trait-like qualities of individuals with clinical depression or are associated with changes in mood state. The present study employed a mood induction procedure and a digit-recall task derived to interfere with working memory to test the role of current mood and executive functioning in the autobiographical memory of nondepressed college students. Non-depressed subjects recalled significantly fewer specific memories on an autobiographical memory test following an induced, negative mood state and also with a concurrent digit-recall task. Thus, autobiographical memory specificity is related to current mood state and involves central executive processes which may be appropriate intervention targets.