Longitudinal Associations Between Depression, Suicidal Ideation, and Lack of Certainty in Control among Adolescents: Disaggregation of Within-Person and Between-Person Effects

Yingying Ye; Yifan Li; Xinchun Wu; Xiao Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.03.008

Longitudinal Associations Between Depression, Suicidal Ideation, and Lack of Certainty in Control among Adolescents: Disaggregation of Within-Person and Between-Person Effects

J Adolesc Health. 2024 May 11:S1054-139X(24)00164-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.03.008. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yingying Ye¹, Yifan Li¹, Xinchun Wu², Xiao Zhou³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
² Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: psyzx@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 38739050
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.03.008

Abstract

Purpose: Depression and suicidal ideation (SI) are common in adolescents. However, the relation between the two is unclear. According to the cognitive model of suicidal behavior and learned helplessness theory, lack of certainty in control (LCC), referring to individuals' deficiency in predictability, certainty, and control of life, may be an important factor linking the two. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the temporal relation between depression and SI in adolescents and to assess the mediating role of LCC in this relation.

Methods: A three-wave survey was carried out at intervals of 1 and 1.5 years among 516 adolescents at several middle schools in Sichuan Province, China. The random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to examine the temporal relations between depression, SI, and LCC among adolescents, which can effectively distinguish between-person and within-person differences.

Results: The results revealed that depression, SI, and LCC had positive intercorrelations at the between-person level. At the within-person level, early depression predicted subsequent depression and SI via LCC among adolescents. Additionally, early LCC promoted later SI through depression.

Discussion: These findings highlight the mediating role of LCC, clarify the temporal relation between depression and SI, and provide theoretical support for interventions to address depression and suicide.

Keywords: Depression; Lack of certainty in control; Random-intercept cross-lagged panel model; Suicidal ideation.