The Role of Positive Future Thinking in Suicidal Ideation
Abstract
Suicide is a major issue and public health concern. In the United States, it is currently the 10th leading cause of death. Research suggests that there is an association between future thinking, or the ability to generate expectations for future events related to the self, and suicidal ideation; specifically, that individuals with suicidal ideation are less able to generate positive future thoughts (while no significant patterns have been found with relation to negative future thinking). Despite the extensive literature on positive future thinking and suicidal ideation, there are relatively few studies that examine this relationship longitudinally. This study assessed whether positive future thinking would be associated with suicidal ideation, whether positive future thinking would moderate change in suicidal ideation severity over time, and whether these associations would differ depending on whether the future thinking was intrapersonal or interpersonal in nature. Participants (N = 150) were recruited through Research Match and assessed at baseline and at a one-month follow-up. Positive future thinking was not significantly associated with past month suicidal ideation, with or without controlling for covariates. Neither intrapersonal nor interpersonal future thinking were significantly associated with past month suicidal ideation. Positive future thinking did not moderate change in suicidal ideation between baseline and follow-up; however, there were conditional effects such that there was a greater decrease in suicidal ideation among individuals with higher levels of positive future thinking over time. Neither intrapersonal nor interpersonal positive future thinking moderated the change in suicidal ideation between baseline and follow-up, but there were significant conditional effects such that there was a greater decrease in suicidal ideation over time at lower levels of intrapersonal or interpersonal positive future thinking. The proportion of achieved events did not significantly moderate the change in suicidal ideation severity from baseline to follow-up; however, there were significant conditional effects such that there was a greater decrease in suicidal ideation over time at higher levels of achievability. The proportion of achieved intrapersonal positive future events did moderate change in suicidal ideation severity between baseline and follow-up. The proportion of achieved interpersonal positive future events did not moderate change in suicidal ideation between baseline and follow-up; however, there were significant conditional effects such that there was a greater increase in suicidal ideation over time at higher levels of achieved interpersonal positive future events. These findings suggest that individuals with lower levels of positive future thinking may experience greater decreases in suicidal ideation over time due to a higher baseline level of suicidal ideation, and that there are not marked differences in levels of intrapersonal vs. interpersonal positive future thinking as they relate to suicidality. Findings also suggest that the achievability of positive future thinking, or how realistic positive future thinking is, may influence suicidal ideation. Specifically, achievability of intrapersonal positive future thinking is associated with a greater decrease in suicidal ideation. Clinicians and researchers examining the relationship between positive future thinking and suicidal ideation may want to consider the impact that the type of positive future thinking (intrapersonal vs. interpersonal) and the achievability of the events may have on individuals with higher suicide risk. Future research should continue to expand on these results by examining more granular fluctuations over time and should replicate results in an adequately powered sample.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Public health|Cognitive psychology
Recommended Citation
Kim, Hae-Joon, "The Role of Positive Future Thinking in Suicidal Ideation" (2023). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30488804.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30488804
