The role of attachment styles and interpersonal problems in suicide-related behaviors

Abstract

The relationships among adult attachment styles, interpersonal problems, and categories of suicide-related behaviors (i.e., self-harm, suicide attempts, and their co-occurrence) were examined in a predominantly psychiatric sample (N = 406). Both anxious and avoidant attachment styles were associated with interpersonal problems. In turn, specific interpersonal problems differentially mediated the relations between attachment style and type of suicide-related behaviors. These findings suggest the importance of distinguishing between these groups of behaviors in terms of etiological pathways, maintenance processes, and treatment interventions.

Figure 1

Interpersonal problems as a mediator in the relations between attachment style and suicide-related behavior. The numbers presented are the unstandardized regression coefficients obtained from the multinomial logistic regression predicting contrasts between categories of suicide-related behavior from attachment and interpersonal problems (sex, ethnicity, and age were controlled). Only the significant indirect pathways are shown. The bold lines represent significant mediational pathways. *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.