Date of Award
Fall 12-13-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Regina Miranda
Second Advisor
Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary
Academic Program Adviser
Martin Chodorow
Abstract
The rate of teenage suicide has increased markedly in recent years, highlighting the need for greater understanding of the factors that underlie such behavior. While separate studies have established significant associations between the quality of the parent-child relationship and suicide ideation, and between emotion reactivity and suicide ideation, no prior research has examined the interaction of these variables. The current study used survey data collected from 111 youth recruited in emergency departments and inpatient units to measure parent-child relationship quality (the PACHIQ-R scale) and emotion reactivity (the ERS) as predictors of severity of suicide ideation at three months into the study period. We hypothesized that parent-child relationship quality might act as a moderator of the relationship between emotion reactivity and suicide ideation. As predicted, a significant relationship was found between emotion reactivity measured at baseline and suicide ideation measured at three months into the study period; however, parent-child relationship quality was not significantly related to suicide ideation at three months, and no moderation effect of parent-child relationship quality was detected in the relationship between emotion reactivity and suicide ideation. Possible explanations, including those related to the demographic makeup of our sample, are discussed. These findings support the need for further research into the familial factors that may impact youth who experience suicidal thinking and behavior.
Recommended Citation
Schaeffer, Deborah, "Parent-Child Relationship Quality, Emotion Reactivity, and Suicide Ideation among Adolescents" (2022). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/996