(PS2-D83) Examining the Differential Effects of Cognitive Control on the Relationship Between covid-19-related Hopelessness and Suicidal Ideation Severity

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to periods of stress and uncertainty, leaving many individuals with hopeless cognitions about the future of pandemic life (Shanahan et al., 2020). Although hopelessness has been shown to confer increased risk for suicide broadly, the conditions under which hopelessness confers risk for suicide remain uncertain (Baryshnikov et al., 2020), especially in relation to recent COVID-19 stressors. Research suggests that, when faced with continued stress, individuals with trait vulnerabilities face increased levels of hopelessness and cognitive dysregulation, two experiences that converge to escalate acute suicidality (Wenzel & Beck, 2008). Thus, the present study tested the hypotheses that COVID-19-related hopelessness would be significantly associated with suicidal ideation (SI) severity, and that loss of cognitive control would moderate this relationship. Specifically, we expected that higher levels of loss of cognitive control would strengthen the relationship between COVID-related hopelessness and SI. 

 
A sample of 1970 adults residing in the United States (87.41% cisgender women), aged 18 to 83 years (M = 26.67, SD = 8.53), completed an online battery of questionnaires between June 2020 and January 2021, including an item assessing COVID-related hopelessness, the Suicide Crisis Inventory (SCI-2; Bloch-Elkouby et al., 2021), and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (Posner et al., 2011). The SCI-2 assessed past-week loss of cognitive control, a dimension measured through a cluster of four symptoms: rumination, cognitive rigidity, ruminative flooding, and failed thought suppression.

There was a significant interaction between COVID-19 hopelessness and loss of cognitive control in predicting SI (B = .13, SE = .02, p < .001, 95% CI [.08, .17]). Specifically, the effect of COVID-19 hopelessness on suicidal ideation was strongest at high levels (B = .27, SE = .04, p < .001), statistically significant yet weaker at mean levels of loss of cognitive control (B = .14, SE = .03, p < .001), and weakest and non-significant at low levels of cognitive control (B = .01, SE = .03, p = .761).

In line with our hypotheses, feeling hopeless because of COVID-19 was significantly associated with higher levels of SI severity, and this relationship was stronger among those with greater loss of cognitive control. Our results substantiate and expand upon existing literature by evaluating these relationships within the context of the pandemic and highlight the need to consider cognitive states and processes in assessing and managing suicide risk.