Social Support Mediates the Association between Disclosure of Suicide Attempt and Depression, Perceived Burdensomeness, and Thwarted Belongingness

Abstract

Objective Prior research has found disclosure of concealable stigmatized statuses, including suicide attempt survivorship, to be associated with positive mental health outcomes. This study sought to test the mediating effect of self‐reported social support on the association between disclosure of suicide attempt and suicide risk factors in a sample of undergraduate college students. Method Data were analyzed from 149 undergraduate college students with a history of one or more suicide attempts. Three parallel mediation analyses tested the simultaneous mediating effect of family social support and peer social support on the association between suicide attempt disclosure and suicide risk factors. Results Significant total indirect effects in all models indicated family social support and peer social support simultaneously mediated the association between disclosure of suicide attempt and depression, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness. The indirect effect on thwarted belongingness via peer social support was stronger than the indirect effect via family social support. Conclusions Disclosure of suicide attempt was associated with higher social support, which was associated with lower suicide risk factors. In a therapeutic context, it is important to consider social support when discussing disclosure of suicide attempt. Keywords: suicide, disclosure, attempt survivor, interpersonal needs, social support.

Better off with you: Exploring congruity between caregivers’ and Veterans’ experience of efforts to cope with suicide

“…Although the coping processes were associated with a greater caregiver regard for the Veteran (as rated by both respondents), cross-partner effects suggested that Veterans' social coping was associated with higher time demands on caregivers. While broadly consistent with previous work on how disclosure elicits support (McClay et al, 2020), it also highlights the practical demands on the caregiver. Alternatively, it might suggest that high levels of caregiver time investment encourage the Veteran to lean on family relationships more.…”

“…The present study examines the interplay of these risk and protective factors in a truly interpersonal context. Our findings conceptually extend prior links between disclosure of suicide (a component of external suicide-related coping), thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and family reactions (Frey & Fulginiti, 2017;McClay et al, 2020). However, a greater degree of complexity emerges once these links are placed into the context of larger caregiver experiences, emphasizing the importance of attending to the family unit when caring for Veterans with a history of STB.…”

“…One component of external suicide-related coping is disclosure of ongoing struggles with ideation or history of suicide attempt. Some research suggests that disclosure may help to elicit positive reactions and social support from family member that can reduce perceptions of burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness (Frey & Fulginiti, 2017;McClay, Brausch, & O'Connor, 2020). Additionally, seeking social support provides an excellent opportunity for caregivers to challenge thoughts of burdensomeness (e.g., "You matter to me") and thwarted belongingness ("I'm here for you").…”

“…Baseline data were used to examine the links between individual burdensomeness and caregiver burden in a sample of Veterans with identified caregivers who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to supporting Veterans' mental health concerns by opting to participate in this trial. We derived our first hypothesis based on previous research suggesting that suicide disclosure (a component of social coping) is associated with reduced negative interpersonal perceptions (Frey & Fulginiti, 2017;McClay et al, 2020). Specifically, we predicted that Veterans reporting greater family problem solving will report less thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness (Hypothesis 1A) and that caregivers reporting greater family problem solving will report lower burden (Hypothesis 1B).…”

How Is the Presence of Company Related to Thwarted Belongingness in Real Time? Taking a Closer Look at the Conceptualization of the Construct of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide

“…It has already been demonstrated that TB is positively associated with depression [12] and social anxiety [13], as well as fear of negative evaluation [14], negative interpersonal trust [15], insomnia [16][17][18], and perceived illness stigma in youth with inflammatory bowel disease [19]. Further, it could be shown that TB is inversely related to involvement in extracurricular activities in young adults [20], social support resulting from the disclosure of a suicide attempt from students with a history of suicide attempts [21], and the existence of a partnership in gay men [22]. Moreover, mixed findings are already available for newer technologies, illustrating that the influence of online interactions on TB is still unclear.…”