UNEMPLOYMENT AND SUICIDE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE INTERPERSONAL THEORY OF SUICIDE

Becoming unemployed is typically considered a risk factor for suicidal ideation (SI) and behavior. This study aimed to examine how unemployment confers risk for suicidal ideation, positing that Perceived Burdensomeness (PB) and Thwarted Belongingness (TB) function as mediators between the length of an individual’s unemployment and their level of SI. In terms of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, individuals with higher levels of these variables are hypothesized to have an increased desire to be dead. Other issues related to unemployment and suicidal thinking were examined including whether the preceding variables had a curvilinear relationship to length of unemployment, whether income loss was a predictor of suicidal thinking and whether veterans of the armed forces experienced higher levels of the preceding variables than non-veterans. PB was found to function as a mediator, but TB did not. There was evidence of a curvilinear relationship, with individuals recently and long-term unemployed reporting lower SI than those unemployed for a moderate duration. Income loss was unrelated to both PB and SI, and veterans were found to exhibit higher PB and SI than non-veterans, but similar levels of PB. These findings begin to shed light on which individuals who lose their job are at greater risk for suicidal thinking; clinical implications for risk assessment are also discussed.Ph.D. in Psychology, May 201