Suicidal ideation and hopelessness in PTSD: spiritual well-being mediates outcomes over time

摘要

BackgroundThere is an increased interest in understanding the mechanisms through which post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relates with hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Spiritual well-being could help explain the link between PTSD and both hopelessness and suicidal ideation in African Americans. However, no study has examined the mediational role of existential and religious well-being among these variables.ObjectivesTo examine if initial levels of existential and religious well-being mediated the relation between levels of PTSD symptoms and prospective levels of hopelessness and suicidal ideation in a sample of African American females.DesignThe study used a longitudinal design with a 10-week time interval.MethodsThe sample comprised of 113 disadvantaged African American women survivors of a recent suicide attempt recruited from a southern hospital. Self-report measures of PTSD symptoms, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and spiritual well-being were administered to examine the variables of interest. Bootstrapping techniques were used to test the mediational models.ResultsExistential, but not religious well-being, mediated the relationship between levels of PTSD symptoms severity and both levels of hopelessness and suicidal ideation over time.ConclusionsExistential well-being appears to play a promising protective role against the negative effects of PTSD on both hopelessness and suicidal ideation.