IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i4p2827-d1058697.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Influence of Insecure Attachment to Parents on Adolescents’ Suicidality

Author

Listed:
  • Lara Leben Novak

    (Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

  • Vanja Gomboc

    (Andrej Marušič Institute, Slovene Centre for Suicide Research, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia
    Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Department of Psychology, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia)

  • Vita Poštuvan

    (Andrej Marušič Institute, Slovene Centre for Suicide Research, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia
    Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Department of Psychology, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia)

  • Diego De Leo

    (Andrej Marušič Institute, Slovene Centre for Suicide Research, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia
    Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Department of Psychology, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia)

  • Žiga Rosenstein

    (Unit for Intensive Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Mental Health, University Psychiatric Clinic Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

  • Maja Drobnič Radobuljac

    (Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Abstract

Insecure attachment has been identified as a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology and, consequently, for suicidal behavior. We aimed to highlight the relationship between the attachment styles of adolescents and their suicidal behavior and to investigate the role of each parent in the suicidality pathway of adolescents. The sample consisted of 217 adolescent inpatients who were at the highest risk for suicidal behavior and who were hospitalized in the Unit for Intensive Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Self-report questionnaires assessing their attachment to their parents, their acquired capability for attempting suicide, their suicidality, and a number of traumatic life events were administered. The results showed a higher level of attachment avoidance rather than attachment anxiety among the most at-risk adolescents. An acquired capability for suicide (ACS) mediated the positive correlation between adolescents’ attachment avoidance in relation to the mother or father and their suicidality. The suppressive mediating effect of an ACS on the association between attachment anxiety in relation to the father and suicidality was detected. The odds ratio for attempted suicide was more than two times higher for adolescents who were insecurely attached to their father compared to adolescents who were insecurely attached to their mother. Our results confirmed the importance of attachment, especially paternal attachment, in developing suicidality during adolescence. Preventive and clinical interventions should target these important domains with the aim of decreasing suicidality among adolescents.

Suggested Citation

  • Lara Leben Novak & Vanja Gomboc & Vita Poštuvan & Diego De Leo & Žiga Rosenstein & Maja Drobnič Radobuljac, 2023. "The Influence of Insecure Attachment to Parents on Adolescents’ Suicidality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-14, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:2827-:d:1058697
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/2827/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/2827/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jessica Green & Katherine Berry & Adam Danquah & Daniel Pratt, 2021. "Attachment Security and Suicide Ideation and Behaviour: The Mediating Role of Reflective Functioning," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-18, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gianluca Santoro & Antonino Costanzo & Christian Franceschini & Vittorio Lenzo & Alessandro Musetti & Adriano Schimmenti, 2024. "Insecure Minds through the Looking Glass: The Mediating Role of Mentalization in the Relationships between Adult Attachment Styles and Problematic Social Media Use," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-15, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:2827-:d:1058697. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.