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Suicide and Self-Injury

The impact of parental and child problem-solving skills, child’s emotional regulation, and parental empathy on child suicide risk

(PS13-43) The Impact of Parental and Child Problem-solving Skills, Child’s Emotional Regulation, and Parental Empathy on Child Suicide Risk

Sunday, November 17, 2024
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST
Location: Franklin Hall, Level 4, Marriott Downtown
Abstract Text: Family factors relating to youth suicide are well documented with increased parental involvement, supervision, and support all being effective targets for youth suicide prevention. Youth with suicidal ideation are less able to create alternative ways to solve problems, compared to peers. Parental empathy and involvement have been shown to mediate the relationship between adaptive functioning, problem-solving, and depressive symptoms in youth, thus reducing youth suicide risk, while also increasing protective factors, including trust and supervision. We hypothesize parental empathy will have an indirect effect on child suicidal ideation, through parental problem-solving and that parental problem-solving will be mediated by the roles of parental assistance with child emotional regulation and child problem-solving. We also expect a bidirectional relationship between parental assistance with child emotional regulation and child problem-solving. We expect that these variables will have a combined effect on youth suicidal ideation, such that higher reported values of all variables will lead to a decreasing of suicidal ideation for youth. Participants will include 350 caregivers who will complete an online survey in 2024. Measures include caregivers self-reported empathy, their own and their child’s problem-solving skills, and mental health, as well as their child’s emotional regulation abilities and child’s self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Path modeling will examine the indirect effect of parental empathy on youth suicidal ideation through parental problem-solving, as mediated by both child problem-solving and parental assistance with child emotional regulation, as well as the hypothesized bidirectional relationship of parental assistance on child emotional regulation and child problem-solving. Pending data collection, planned analyses, including paths indicating significant interactions, will be reported. Youth suicide is a primary concern for youth and families, with work to reduce prevalence rates being the primary concern for researchers, practitioners, and family systems. Analyses will hopefully demonstrate the importance of targeting parental empathy and problem-solving in suicide prevention and treatment. Overall, the planned study offers multiple intervention points in working to prevent youth suicide, strengthen families, and promote the development of long-lasting skills.