The Dynamic Relationship Between Emotional Regulation Difficulties And Suicidal Ideation In Adolescents

Adolescence generally refers to the age of 12 to 18,which is a critical period for individual physical and mental development,as well as a high-risk period for individuals to suffer from mental illness and the peak period for suicide.An in-depth study of the causes of adolescents' suicide is extremely important for ensuring the healthy growth of adolescents.As the first stage of the entire suicidal behavior,suicidal ideation indicates that the mental health of adolescents has been in an extremely dangerous state.Previous studies have also confirmed that adolescents with suicidal ideation are always at risk of suicide,depression,and mental disorders.It can be seen that exploring the causes and influencing factors of suicidal ideation in adolescents has important contributions to the study of suicide problems and the implementation of suicide intervention.Therefore,based on the stress-diathesis model,the interpersonal theory of suicide,the integrated motivational–volitional model of suicidal behavior,and the process – person – context – time model,this study investigated the changing trends and heterogeneity of suicide ideation in adolescents.Moreover,it examined the common development trend of difficulties in emotion regulation and suicidal ideation,as well as the influence of environmental factors on the trend and the formation of heterogeneous development subgroups.This study used the Suicide Ideation/Suicide Attempt Questionnaire,the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Questionnaire,the Family Environment Questionnaire,and the Youth Perceived Campus Climate Questionnaire to survey 216 junior high school students in the second grade.Combining the two research ideas of variable center and individual center,a total of three longitudinal follow-up studies were carried out for one year.The first study investigated the development trajectory and heterogeneous development subgroups of suicidal ideation in adolescents by establishing a linear growth model and a mixed growth model;The second study examined the co-occurring developmental change trajectory of difficulties in emotion regulation and suicidal ideation in adolescents and the relationship between heterogeneous development subgroups by establishing a parallel development linear growth model and a two-process mixed growth model;The third study tested the mode of action between environmental factors in emotion regulation difficulties and suicidal ideation of adolescents and their predictive role in the formation of heterogeneous subgroups through the construction of structural equation model and logistic regression analysis.The main results were as follows:1.Suicidal ideation in early adolescents showed a linear increase trend.As the age increased,the level of suicide ideation rose,and the higher the level of initial suicide ideation,the lower the growth rate;2.There were two heterogeneous subgroups in the development and change trajectory of suicide ideation in early adolescents: the ascending group and the descending group;3.There was a co-occurrence and common development trend between emotional regulation difficulties and suicidal ideation in early adolescents,and the specific subgroups of the common development trajectory were consistent with the heterogeneous subgroups of early adolescents' suicide ideation;4.Difficulties in emotion regulation only played a mediation role in the relationship between the school environment and the level of suicidal ideation six months later,while school and family environment intimacy affected the initial level and changing rate of difficulties in emotion regulation,thereby affecting the initial level and growth rate of development suicidal ideation;The main research conclusions as follows:1.Suicidal ideation in adolescents shows a trend that changes over time,and there are two heterogeneous development subgroups with diametrically opposite development trends;2.Adolescents' emotional adjustment difficulties and suicidal ideation have a cooccurring development trend;3.Difficulties in emotional regulation play a vertical mediating role between environmental factors and the development of suicidal ideation,but their roles in the school environment and family environment are not consistent;4.The school environment is an important predictor and protective factor for the formation of suicidal ideation subgroups in adolescents.