Hopelessness, Impulsivity and Attachment as Possible Predictors of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Suicide Ideations in Croatian College Students

The main aim of this study was to investigate the role of attachment to parents and peers as a possible protective factor, as well as the role of impulsivity as a potential risk factor, for developing suicidal ideations and engaging in NSSI (non-suicidal self-injury) among college students feeling hopeless. Two separate groups of students were examined: those who changed their residence in order to attend college and those who remained living at home with their family. A total of 353 students at the University of Rijeka (234 female) participated in the study. Their average age was 20.28 years. The following measures were used: Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, (IPPA), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS 11), Self-harm CAT-PD and demographic data questionnaire. The results show that students who have changed their residence are more likely to engage in NSSI and experience more suicidal ideations compared to those who remain living with their parents, even if there is no difference in the level of hopelessness and attachment to parents and peers between the two groups. The significant but only partially mediating role of impulsivity in the relationship between hopelessness and NSSI has been confirmed in both groups of students, whilst the protective role of attachment to parents in the relationship between hopelessness and NSSI as well as partially mediating role of impulsivity in the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation was confirmed only in the group of students who changed their residence. The results point to the need for preventive work with students who have moved from home when starting college. Citation: Iva Kirša, Jasminka Juretić, Ivanka Živčić-Bećirević (2016) Hopelessness, Impulsivity and Attachment as Possible Predictors of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Suicide Ideations in Croatian College Students. Addict drug sensitiz 1: 108 Addict drug sensitiz, 2016 Volume 1(1): 42-47 and deliberate self-harm enacted without the desire to die with the lifetime prevalence rates from 5.5 to 17% in community samples [17]. Approximately 15% to 20% of college students report lifetime NSSI, with 3% to 7% reporting 12-month NSSI [18]. The significance of NSSI was recently emphasized by the DSM-V with the inclusion of the NSSI disorder as a “condition requiring further study” [19] and research show that risk of suicide following NSSI is persistent in an long-term period, up to 15 years [20]. Some authors consider suicidal thoughts, attempts and NSSI as different stages on the continuum of deliberate self-harm, where suicide is the final stage with the most serious outcome [21-23], In our research we wanted to explore the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of NSSI and its connectedness with suicidal ideations among college students. As a key factor in adolescents’ suicidal behavior, as well as in adult psychiatric patients, impulsivity stands out [10,24,25]. As a personality trait, it is associated with many behaviors that include low self-regulation, such as poor planning, too early response before considering consequences and decreased sensitivity to negative consequences of behavior, sensation seeking, risk taking etc. [25-29]. One possible moderator of the relation between depression, hopelessness and suicidal ideations is also social support, which has been recognized as an important protective factor for suicide [10,30]. For students who are able to form new relationships, healthy connectedness with parents may buffer them from feelings of sadness or loneliness. The nature of relationships with significant persons in one’s life can be explained through one of the most famous attachment theories, Bowlby’s attachment theory [31]. The relationship with parents teaches an adolescent to regulate their emotions, take a perspective, negotiate, control impulses and express feelings, which are all protective factors from suicide and depression [32,33]. On the other side, peer relations are more and more important as a child enters adolescence and moves towards adulthood. Instead of seeking intimacy, support and connection in parents, adolescents are more prone to seek those in their peers [32]. Good communication and a trustworthy relationship with their mother was found to be negatively associated with NSSI, while maternal and peer alienation is positively associated with such behaviors [34]. Going to college is an exciting and positive experience, but the college environment represents a novel situation that may activate the attachment system, especially for those who live away from their parents [35-37]. For students who change their residence in order to attend college, the academic surroundings can be an additional stress that enhances their feeling of isolation from the rest of the family [38,39]. Secure attachment relationships offer support in times of stress, allowing students to better adjust during the process of leaving home and acclimatizing to a new academic environment [36,40,41], while poor relationships with parents, rigid family functioning and unrealistically high parents’ expectations are some of the factors influencing young person to think about suicide [42]. The main aim of this study is to investigate the role of attachment to parents and peers as a possible protective factor and the role of impulsivity as a potential risk factor for developing suicidal ideation and NSSI among college students. The mediating role of attachment to parents and peers as well as impulsivity in the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideations/NSSI in students will also be tested. Additionally, we wanted to check the differences between students who changed their residence and those who remained living with their family. We expect that the students who left home in order to attend college will be more prone to engage in NSSI and have suicidal ideations comparing to those who have stayed at home with their family. We also expect that students who are poorly attached to their parents and peers and on top of that have moved away from their familiar surroundings, could be at an elevated risk of developing suicide ideations and NSSI. Change of residence will be tested as a possible “trigger’ factor for developing suicidal ideations and engaging in NSSI in this research. It is important to investigate mechanisms of development of suicidal ideations and NSSI as a major public health concern, and to develop more effective prevention strategies in order to decrease the rate of young people harming themselves. This research has included college students’ hopelessness, impulsivity, suicidal ideations, NSSI, attachment to parents and peers into one research, taking into account their residential status, as we did not find any other research that has combined all these factors. Some previous results and theories also suggest that change of residence can be distressing [43] and students with weaker social ties, suffering from a sense of non-belonging, are more prone to suicide attempt [44].