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Background and Objectives:
Individual differences in vulnerability to suici- dal ideation have been recently addressed to internal working models of attachment. Howev- er, to date, research has mainly focused on adolescents. Few studies have investigated the role of adult attachment and personality dimensions in suicidal ideation, either examined from a mediational perspective .
In this study, we aimed at testing a theoretical model in which Self/other perception mediates between personality and suicidal ideation in young adults.
Methods:
Dimensions of Attachment (self/other perception), Personality (the Big Five factor model), and Suicidal Ideation (hopelessness and depression) were assessed in a community sample of 319 young adults from Northern Italy. Structural Equation Model- ing and mediation analysis were conducted. Controlling for demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, education, and job), we tested three structural models.
Results : The final model confirmed our hypothesis that self/other perception mediates between personality (high neuroticism and low extraversion) and suicidal ideation, pro- viding excellent fit to data.
Conclusions:
In line with the conceptual framework of the Attachment Theory, find- ings suggest that failure to resolve attachment-related distress is related to the emergence of negative self/other models in adults. Such internal models are likely to attenuate the as- sociation between neuroticism and extraversion with depressive symptoms, hopelessness and suicidal ideation.
