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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 Aug 1:310:241-248.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.021. Epub 2022 May 10.

A prospective investigation of the relation between dysfunctional family communication and suicidal ideation severity in a clinical adolescent sample: A serial mediation model

Roberto López Jr  1 , Katherine Maultsby  2 , Annamarie B Defayette  2 , Emma D Whitmyre  2 , Jennifer Wolff  3 , Anthony Spirito  3 , Christianne Esposito-Smythers  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A prospective investigation of the relation between dysfunctional family communication and suicidal ideation severity in a clinical adolescent sample: A serial mediation model

Roberto López Jr et al. J Affect Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Extant research has documented a relation between the quality of family communication and adolescent suicidal ideation. However, few studies have examined this relation longitudinally or explored potential mechanisms of this effect. In the present study, unhealthy family communication was hypothesized to be associated with suicidal ideation severity over 18 months via a serial mediation pathway through emotion regulation difficulties and depressive symptom severity.

Methods: The sample consisted of 147 adolescents (Mage = 14.91, SD = 1.51, range = 12-18 years; 76.2% female, 85.5% White) enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. Family communication quality was assessed at baseline using the Family Assessment Device. Emotion regulation difficulties and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and Children's Depression Inventory-2, respectively, at baseline, 6-, and 12-months. Suicidal ideation was assessed using the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-JR at baseline and 18-months. Path analysis was used to analyze temporal relations between constructs.

Results: After accounting for participant's age, sex, treatment condition, and baseline levels of variables of interest, analyses supported the indirect relation between baseline family communication and 18-month suicidal ideation severity through 6-month emotion regulation difficulties and 12-month depressive symptom severity.

Limitations: Data were exclusively collected via self-report, and the sample was racially homogenous.

Conclusions: Treatment aimed at improving family communication may help bolster emotion regulation abilities, lower depressive symptoms, and subsequently, suicide risk.

Keywords: Adolescence; Communication; Depressive symptoms; Emotion regulation difficulties; Suicidal ideation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest

There are no known conflicts of interest associated with this manuscript, and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesized serial mediation model with standardized direct paths. Note. 18M = 18-month; 12M = 12-month; 6M = 6-month; BL = baseline. *Statistically significant parameter estimates. For interpretability, direct paths between covariates (i.e., adolescent’s baseline age, sex, and treatment condition) and mediators (i.e., 6-month emotion regulation difficulties and 12-month depressive symptom severity) as well as criterion (i.e., 18-month suicidal ideation severity) are not shown. Covariates and baseline levels of mediators and criterion were included in the statistical model prior to testing for indirect effects and are discussed in the manuscript (see Supplementary Table 1 for parameter estimates).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Alternate serial mediation model with standardized direct paths. Note. 18M = 18-month; 12M = 12-month; 6M = 6-month; BL = baseline. *Statistically significant parameter estimates. For interpretability, direct paths between covariates (i.e., adolescent’s baseline age, sex, and treatment condition) and mediators (i.e., 6-month depressive symptom severity and 12-month emotion regulation difficulties) as well as criterion (i.e., 18-month suicidal ideation severity) are not shown. Covariates and baseline levels of mediators and criterion were included in the statistical model prior to testing for indirect effects and are discussed in the manuscript (see Supplementary Table 2 for parameter estimates).
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