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Stress Accounts for the Association Between ADHD Symptoms and Suicide Ideation When Stress-Reactive Rumination Is High

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Abstract

ADHD symptoms are significantly associated with suicide ideation. However, the variables that explain this association remain unknown. This study tested a theoretical model in which stress was hypothesized to account for the association between ADHD symptoms and suicide ideation among individuals high, but not low, in ruminative responding to stress. We examined this model in a sample of 432 emerging adults, who were predominantly female (72.5%) and Hispanic (70.6%), with a mean age of 19.73 years. Demographic and clinical (ADHD symptoms, stress, stress-reactive rumination, depressive symptoms) information was collected via self-reported rating scales. ADHD symptoms were significantly and positively associated with stress, stress-reactive rumination, and suicide ideation. As hypothesized, the association between ADHD symptoms and suicide ideation was accounted for by stress, and this effect was strongest at high levels of stress-reactive rumination. Conclusions did not change after controlling for depressive symptoms. These findings shed light on one explanation of the elevated levels of suicide ideation seen in emerging adults with elevated ADHD symptoms: heightened levels of stressful events and a tendency to respond to stress by ruminating. Implications for theory development and prevention efforts are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Dana McMakin for her feedback and assistance in the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Carlos E. Yeguez, Victor Buitron & Jeremy W. Pettit

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Ryan M. Hill

  3. Florida International University, AHC-1|Room 140, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Carlos E. Yeguez

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  1. Carlos E. Yeguez
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Correspondence to Carlos E. Yeguez.

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Carlos E. Yeguez, Ryan M. Hill, Victor Buitron, and Jeremy W. Pettit declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Yeguez, C.E., Hill, R.M., Buitron, V. et al. Stress Accounts for the Association Between ADHD Symptoms and Suicide Ideation When Stress-Reactive Rumination Is High. Cogn Ther Res 42, 461–467 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-018-9910-0

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