(PS11-30) Emotion-related Impulsivity Subfactors and Intolerance of Uncertainty Are Uniquely Associated with Interpersonal-psychological Risk Factors for Suicide

In an attempt to alleviate the public health burden of suicide, a growing body of research has examined risk factors for suicidal behavior. One influential theory is Joiner’s (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory proposing three risk factors: perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and acquired capability. Perceived burdensomeness is a person’s sense that they are a liability to the world or others around them, while thwarted belongingness is a person’s sense that they cannot make meaningful connections with those around them. Acquired capability is a person’s enhanced capacity for suicidal behavior due to desensitization to the fear of death. Research shows these factors consistently predict suicidal thoughts and behaviors, but meta-analytic work indicates small effect sizes. Past work has neglected to consider how the Joiner risk factors may relate to other individual difference factors which have strong ties with suicidal behaviors and ideation. Investigating these individual difference factors could help refine the Joiner theory model, and more broadly, could shed light on promising directions for future interventions.

We sought to clarify relationships between the Joiner risk factors and two individual difference factors, emotion-related impulsivity (ERI) and intolerance of uncertainty (IU). We considered two separate facets of ERI: Pervasive Influence of Feelings, which measures how much a person’s emotions shape their worldview, and Feelings Trigger Action, which measures impulsive behavioral reactivity to emotions. We hypothesized that greater Feelings Trigger Action would predict higher acquired capability for suicide, whereas greater Pervasive Influence of Feelings would predict higher levels of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. We hypothesized that higher levels of IU would predict higher scores on all three Joiner risk factors. The current study analyzed self-report data from a large community sample (N=169) which was over-sampled for individuals with elevated suicidality. We tested for direct relationships between ERI and IU on the Joiner risk factors and for potential interactivity between ERI factors and IU in predicting the Joiner risk factors. Linear regression results showed that neither ERI factor significantly interacted with IU in predicting any of the Joiner risk factors (all p’s >.059). Main effects revealed that Pervasive Influence of Feelings predicted higher perceived burdensomeness (β=0.34, p< .001) and thwarted belongingness (β=0.42, p< .001), while Feelings Trigger Action predicted higher levels of perceived burdensomeness (β=0.30, p< .001) and acquired capability (β=0.21, p=.027). Additionally, IU did not significantly relate to perceived burdensomeness or thwarted belongingness (all p’s >.194) but predicted lower levels of acquired capability (β=-0.22, p=.028).

These results demonstrate the importance of considering unique factors of ERI in understanding risk for suicide. Our results also provide novel evidence that while IU may not impact risk factors such as perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, higher levels of IU may serve as some protection against individuals’ acquired capability for suicidal action.