Association of real‐time assessed mood, affect and suicidal ideation in psychiatric inpatients with unipolar depression

Abstract

Previous research provided preliminary support of a potential reinforcing effect of suicidal ideation demonstrating reduced negative affect and increased positive affect after thinking about suicide. The present study therefore sought to investigate the role of mood and affect as a proximal risk factor of suicidal ideation in a high‐risk sample. Seventy‐four psychiatric inpatients (72% female) with unipolar depression and current and/or lifetime suicidal ideation aged 18 to 85 years (M = 37.6, SD = 14.3) took part in an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) over 6 days. Multilevel analyses were calculated. Analyses revealed negative valence of mood and low positive affect to be predictors of subsequent intensity of suicidal ideation (active, passive) as well as predictors of change in suicidal ideation (active, passive) since the last measurement. High negative affect only predicted intensity of passive suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation (active, passive) was prospectively associated with subsequent negative valence of mood and lower positive affect as well as with higher intensity of negative affect. Suicidal ideation (active, passive) also predicted the change in valence of mood, positive affect and negative affect since the last measurement. Mood and affect should be taken into account as important proximal risk factors of active and passive suicidal ideation. The results do not support the idea of a reinforcing effect of suicidal ideation. In fact, they show a pattern of reduced subsequent positive affect, negative valence of mood and increased negative affect. Replication studies with larger samples and longer EMA follow‐ups are needed.

The Relationships Between Suicidal Ideation, Meaning in Life, and Affect: a Network Analysis

“…We also found that negative affect was positively related to the despair, sleep, and pessimism dimensions of suicidal ideation. This finding is consistent with previous studies concluding that high negative affect is significantly associated with suicidal ideation (Lucht et al, 2022 ; Rubio et al, 2020 ; Yang et al, 2021 ) and the ample evidence of the role of negative affect–related processes increasing the risk of suicidal ideation (Ben-Zeev et al, 2012 ; Cha et al, 2018 ). Similarly, a prior network analysis revealed a positive relation between negative affect and suicidal ideation (single-ensemble variable) (Oakey-Frost et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Affect, which comprises positive and negative affect (Russell, 2003;Watson et al, 1988), is another psychological variable closely related to suicidal ideation (Cha et al, 2018;Craske et al, 2019;Lucht et al, 2022;Rubio et al, 2020;Yang et al, 2021). Many studies have revealed that negative affect and positive affect, respectively, have significantly positive and negative associations with suicidal ideation (Bennardi et al, 2019;Chabrol et al, 2007;Rubio et al, 2020).…”

Depression and suicide: What an evidence‐based clinician should know

“…Sensory processing disorders have been described in people with depression and might A variety of negative mood states have been shown to be proximal predictors of suicide ideation in high-risk individuals (Ben-Zeev et al, 2012). In the sixth article of this issue (Lucht et al, 2022), the role of mood and affect as a proximal risk factor of suicidal ideation was investigated. This was done by using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in a high-risk sample of depressed patients in Germany with current and/or lifestime suicidal ideation.…”