Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Kevin Meehan

Committee Chair and Members

Keven Meehan (Chair)

Sara Haden

Katie Lewis

Keywords

Anger, Emotion regulation, Rejection sensitivity, Romantic conflict, Suicidal ideation, Suicide

Abstract

This micro-longitudinal study examined the psychological mechanisms involved in the momentary unfolding of suicidal ideation (SI) subsequent to conflicts with a romantic partner (PRC), with a specific aim to examine the mediating and moderating roles of state anger (SA), rejection expectancy (RE), lack of emotional awareness (LEA), and perceived social support from friends (PSS). Adult participants (N = 114) who confirmed residing in the U.S., being in a romantic relationship for at least three months, and having experienced at least one episode of suicidal ideation within the past month were asked to complete self-report measures on baseline rejection expectancy (A-RSQ), lack of emotional awareness (DERS), and perceived social support from friends (MSPSS), along with daily perceived romantic conflict, state anger, and suicidal ideation over 14 consecutive days. Multilevel mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using the IBM® SPSS MLMED macro and SAS® OnDemand for Academics. The results revealed statistically significant positive correlations between PRC, SA, and SI, alongside a significant negative correlation between PSS and SI. Additionally, a partial mediation effect of SA on the PRC-SI relationship at the event level, a moderation effect of RE on the PRC-SA relationship at the event and mean levels, and a moderation effect of LEA on the SA-SI relationship at the mean level were found to be statistically significant. This study contributes to the dynamic understanding of psychological mechanisms underlying the unexpected emergence of suicidal ideation following romantic conflicts, providing specific, actionable insights for clinical intervention.

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