Psychological maltreatment, meaning-centered coping, psychological flexibility, and suicide cognitions: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

Background

Mental health problems are currently diversifying, increasing the possibility of suicide. Exposure to psychological maltreatment is one of the factors that increases suicidal cognitions. In addition, psychological flexibility and meaning-centered approaches may be effective in coping with suicidal cognitions.

Objective

A hypothesized model was tested to examine the relationships among psychological maltreatment, suicidal cognitions, psychological flexibility, and meaning-centered coping.

Method

Data were collected from a sample of 652 participants. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to examine the mediating and moderating role of psychological flexibility and meaning-centered coping in the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and suicide cognitions among Turkish adults.

Results

The results of the study indicated significant negative and positive relationships between psychological maltreatment, suicide cognitions, psychological flexibility, and meaning-centered coping. The findings suggest that psychological flexibility and meaning-centered coping have a serial mediating effect on the relationship between psychological maltreatment and suicide cognitions. Furthermore, according to the study results, psychological flexibility plays a moderating role both between psychological maltreatment and suicidal cognitions and between meaning-centered coping and suicidal cognitions.

Conclusions

The study suggests that psychological maltreatment can be considered as a risk factor and meaning-centered coping and psychological flexibility as protective factors in suicide prevention studies.