Suicide is the second leading cause of death for traditional-age college students, and the interpersonal theory of suicide (ITS; Joiner, 2005) provides a cogent framework for predicting which students may be at highest risk. However, little is known about how constructs of ITS operate in cross-cultural contexts. Findings, based on a sample of international and domestic undergraduate students (N = 254), indicated that the ITS construct of perceived burdensomeness was positively associated with suicidal ideation (SI) for both groups. However, campus belongingness emerged as connected with SI for international students, whereas family belongingness emerged as connected with SI for domestic students.

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Abstract. Background: Although suicide loss has been associated with several negative outcomes, numerous studies have shown that loss survivors can experience posttraumatic growth (PTG) following the suicide loss of a significant other. However, few studies have explored the mechanisms of such growth. Aims: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of PTG among a sample of adult suicide loss survivors and to explore whether the amount of time since the suicide loss moderated the relation between self-reported coping and PTG. Method: Suicide-bereaved adults (n = 307) completed online questionnaires measuring personality, coping, help-seeking attitudes, social support, and PTG. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses showed five independent associations with PTG: time since loss, perceived closeness, help-seeking attitudes, social support, and problem-focused coping. Time since loss did not moderate the relation between any of the self-reported coping styles and PTG. Limitations: The limitations of this study include a cross-sectional design, potential selection bias, no comparison or control group, and unrepresentative sample demographics of suicide loss survivors. Conclusion: Problem-focused coping showed the strongest association with PTG, independent of time since loss, suggesting that this coping style may facilitate growth throughout the grief trajectory.

Brown and Krane have posited a tripartite model of career indecision, which includes three higher order factors: negative affect, poor vocational identity development, and lack of career information. The purpose of this study was to examine the adequacy of their tripartite model of career indecision for African American students, considering that the samples used in the meta-analysis of Brown and Krane were predominantly Caucasian. With regard to recent research suggesting the importance of emotional intelligence for career development, this study also examined the presence and degree of relationship among positive affect, emotional intelligence, and the three factors in the model of Brown and Krane. A total of 171 participants from a Historically Black University completed a packet of career diagnostic assessments that included a measure of emotional intelligence. Factor analysis suggested that five factors (career self-efficacy, career-related emotional maturity, information needs, vocational identity development, and career decisional status) could be extracted to represent the constructs related to career decision making for African American students. Implications for career counseling are discussed with regard to viewing positive affect and emotional intelligence as an integral factor in the career decision-making process.

When faced with negative life events, people often interpret the events by attributing them to the actions of God or Satan (Lupfer, Tolliver, & Jackson, 1996;Ritzema, 1979). To explore these attributions, we conducted a mixed-method study of Christians who were college freshmen. Participants read vignettes depicting a negative life event that had a beginning and an end that was systematically varied. Participants assigned a larger role to God in vignettes where an initially negative event (e.g., relationship breakup) led to a positive long-term outcome (e.g., meeting someone better) than with a negative (e.g., depression and loneliness) or unspecified long-term outcome. Participants attributed a lesser role to Satan when there was positive outcome rather than negative or unspecified outcome. Participants also provided their own narratives, recounting personal experiences that they attributed to the actions of God or Satan. Participant-supplied narratives often demonstrated "theories" about the actions of God, depicting God as being involved in negative events as a rescuer, comforter, or one who brings positive out of the negative. Satan-related narratives were often lacking in detail or a clear theory of how Satan worked. Participants who did provide this information depicted Satan as acting primarily through influencing one's thoughts and/or using other people to encourage one's negative behavior.