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Severe Insomnia Associated with Suicidality

J Affect Disord; ePub 2016 Oct 11; Chu, et al

More severe insomnia was associated with more severe thwarted belongingness (cf, social disconnection) and suicidality, a recent study found. Researchers administered self-report measures of insomnia severity, thwarted belongingness, suicidal ideation and behavior, and anxiety in 4 adult samples: 469 undergraduate students, 352 psychiatric outpatients, 858 firefighters, and 217 primary care patients. They found:

  • Thwarted belongingness significantly accounted for the association between insomnia and suicidality, cross-sectionally and longitudinally, beyond anxiety.
  • Notably, findings supported the specificity of thwarted belongingness: Anxiety did not significantly mediate the association between insomnia and suicidality, and insomnia did not mediate the relation between thwarted belongingness and suicidality.
  • These findings underscore the utility of assessing and addressing sleep disturbances and social disconnection to reduce suicide risk.

Citation:

Chu C, Hom MA, Rogers ML, et al. Insomnia and suicide-related behaviors: A multi-study investigation of thwarted belongingness as a distinct explanatory factor. [Published online ahead of print October 11, 2016]. J Affect Disord. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.065.