Schemas, Attachment Styles and Suicidal Ideation
Kali Thompson, & Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
Introduction
Suicide can be conceptualized by a process along a continuum which starts at ideation and can progress to completion. The earlier intervention can occur, the better
the outcome.
Investigating the relationship between schemas and attachment styles and how they relate to suicide could help identify possible risk factors, as well as foster a greater
understanding of the development of suicidal behavior.
Since attachment styles operate throughout a persons entire life, they can lead to psychological disorders if they are not developed in a secure way which can have a
detrimental impact (Woodward et al., 2000).
Few if any studies linked schemas directly to suicidal behavior. Moreover, since research has found that people who develop schemas within Domain I, IV and V tend
to have difficulty forming secure attachments to others (Roelofs et al., 2011; Roelofs et al., 2013; Young et al., 2003), investigating schemas along with attachment
styles may possibly provide additional clarification of the relationships among these three variables: schemas, attachment styles, suicidal behavior.
The objective of the current study was to examine the mediating role of schemas in the association between attachment and suicidal ideation.
Hypotheses
Results
 Negative schemas and poor attachment will
result in higher suicide ideation.
 Negative schemas and poor attachment will
result in higher suicide proneness.
 Defectiveness and abandonment will be
particularly noteworthy in the analysis.
 Regression analysis found that the model was
significant when both attachment and EMS were
regressed onto the LAS (β-.276, p=.000; β=.145,
p=.000).
 Attachment accounted for 8% of the variance where
as EMS added an additional 2% of the variance.
 When each construct was broken down, alienation
was the most significant (β=.351, p=.000).
 Defectiveness and abandonment interacted in a
positive way (β=.006, p=.000; β=.097, p=.024) while
unrelenting standards and self sacrifice had a negative
impact (β=-.093, p=.017; β=-.089, p=.021).
Schemas
Method
Participants:




619 undergraduate students
Primarily white (70.1%)
Primarily female (72.8%)
Mean age of 19.7 (SD=3.412).
Measures:
 Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form
(YSQ-3)
75-item self report measure assessing 15
maladaptive schemas. Cronbach’s alpha =
.872.
 Inventory of Parent & Peer Attachment
(IPPA)
53-item self report measure assessing
quality of attachment. Cronbach’s alpha =
.743.
 Life Attitudes Scale-Short Form (LAS)
24-item belief measure assessing suicidal
behavior and thoughts. Cronbach’s alpha =
.689.
Attachment
Ideation
.-.297*
Figure 2. Correlations between Attachment, Schemas
and Ideation.
IPPA
YSQ
LAS
IPPA
-
-.144*
-.297*
YSQ
-
-
.185*
LAS
-
-
-
* p < .001
Discussion
 Findings indicate that feeling alienation and defective is
the worst possible outcome in regard to the impact on
ideation.
 This finding is similar to the study by Dale and
colleagues who also found defectiveness to be the most
important mediator.
 High alienation is also consisted with Joiner’s model of
suicide ideation which explains thwarted belongingness
as a key concept in ideation.
 Future research could examine the differences between
parent and peer attachments in ideation.