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. 2017 Mar 10:8:36.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00036. eCollection 2017.

Attachment Styles and Suicide-Related Behaviors in Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Self-Criticism and Dependency

Giorgio Falgares  1 , Daniela Marchetti  2 , Sandro De Santis  3 , Danilo Carrozzino  2 , Daniel C Kopala-Sibley  4 , Mario Fulcheri  2 , Maria Cristina Verrocchio  2
Affiliations

Attachment Styles and Suicide-Related Behaviors in Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Self-Criticism and Dependency

Giorgio Falgares et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Insecure attachment and the personality dimensions of self-criticism and dependency have been proposed as risk factors for suicide in adolescents. The present study examines whether self-criticism and dependency mediate the relationship between insecure attachment styles and suicidality. A sample of 340 high-school students (73.2% females), ranging in age from 13 to 20 years (M = 16.47, SD = 1.52), completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Attachment Style Questionnaire, and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. The results partially support the expected mediation effects. Self-criticism, but not dependency, mediates the link between insecure attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and suicide-related behaviors. Implications for suicide risk assessment and management are discussed.

Keywords: attachment; depressive experiences questionnaire for adolescents; mediation effect; personality; suicide.

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Figure 1
The mediating role of dependency and self-criticism in the relation between attachment styles and suicidal behaviors.
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