(PS2-B28) The Influence of Impulsive Problem-solving on Suicide Disclosure Among Emerging Adult College Undergraduate Students

In 2019, adults from 18 to 25 reported serious suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors (STB) more often than all other age ranges of US adults (NIMH, 2019). This age range represents part of emerging adulthood, a developmental span from age 18 to 29 (Arnett et al., 2014) in which elevated emotion dysregulation (Zimmermann & Iwanski, 2014) can exacerbate suicidal thoughts (Miranda et al., 2013). Research further indicates social problem-solving (SPS) deficits during this period can exacerbate suicidal thoughts (Bozzay et al., 2016, Chang, 2002a, Chang 2002b) and behaviors (Hirsch et al., 2012).

Despite these findings no studies explore the influence of SPS on the disclosure of STB (suicide disclosure). Suicide disclosure is a primary form of help-seeking for STB. Potentially, SPS influences suicide disclosure decisions, given its focus on selecting coping responses to interpersonal problems (Nezu et al., 2013). Whether this is the case, however, is unknown.

We studied SPS and suicide disclosure among 78 emerging adult college undergraduate students, age 18 to 29 (M = 19.46, SD = 1.96) who reported prior STB. They participated to fulfill a research requirement in an Introduction to Psychology course or for $10. Our mostly female (n = 60, 77%) sample was racially diverse with 14 (18%) African American participants, 18 (23%) Asian American/Pacific Islander participants, 31 (40%) European American participants, 5 (6%) multiracial participants, and 10 participants (13%) identifying as “Other”. The sample was also ethnically diverse with 18 (23%) of 78 participants identifying as Latinx, and diverse regarding sexual orientation with 2 (3%) asexual participants, 16 (20%) bisexual participants, 6 (8%) gay/lesbian participants, 51 (65%) heterosexual participants, and 3 (4%) participants identifying as “other”.

We administered the Social Problem-Solving Inventory – Revised (SPSI; Short Form; D'Zurilla & Nezu, 1982, 1999), and the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire – Revised (SBQ-R; Osman et al., 2001). We created a suicide disclosure variable using responses to question 3 of the SBQ-R, with negative responses assigned a value of 0 (no prior suicide disclosure) and positive responses assigned a value of 1 (prior suicide disclosure).

We regressed suicide disclosure onto scores for each SPSI subscale in a logistic regression. Impulsive/careless problem-solving (IPS) was significantly related to suicide disclosure. For each unit change in IPS the odds of suicide disclosure grew by a factor of 1.26 while holding all other variables constant.

In a separate t-test, participants who disclosed STB reported significantly greater mean scores for IPS (M = 6.16, SD = 3.61) than peers who never disclosed t(76) = 2.32, p = .023, M = 4.29, SD = 3.49, d = .53). The effect size was medium (Cohen, 1988).

Consistent with prior research (Lane & Jeglic, under review) our results suggest suicide disclosure may entail impulsive help-seeking as a problem-solving strategy for STB. Disclosure can elicit help but can also evoke reactive or aversive responses that discourage future disclosure (Blanchard & Farber, 2020; Frey et al., 2017). Clinicians should be aware of this and help suicidal clients identify effective suicide disclosure methods and recipients while stressing safety.