Maladaptive beliefs, dissociation, and suicidal ideation in people with PTSD: Results from a national survey in Japan

Suicide is a major public health concern and people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at a higher risk of engaging in suicidal behaviors. Less is known about the factors that predict suicidal ideation in people with PTSD, especially in non-Western contexts. To test the hypothesis that post-traumatic maladaptive beliefs and dissociative symptoms would predict suicidal ideation, we analyzed data from the National Survey for Stress and Health in Japan. A total of 712 participants with probable PTSD who provided data at two time points, four months apart, were included for analysis. After controlling for age, gender, depressive symptoms, and baseline suicidal ideation, post-traumatic maladaptive beliefs (β = .090, p = .016) and dissociative symptoms (β = .080, p = .025), but not PTSD symptoms (β = .038, p = .323), predicted suicidal ideation at follow-up. The findings point to the potential importance of early interventions for maladaptive beliefs and dissociative symptoms in people with PTSD in order to reduce suicide risks.