Fear of negative evaluation and suicidal ideation among college students: the moderating role of impulsivity-like traits

Abstract

Objective: Fear of negative evaluation (FNE) is a key trait of social anxiety and has been linked to isolation and low self-esteem. Impulsivity has been shown to amplify the risk of socially anxious individuals engaging in risky behaviors such as suicidal behaviors; yet little research has examined associations between FNE and suicidality or the relationship between FNE and impulsivity. Participants/Methods: This study tested whether FNE was associated with suicidal ideation in a sample of 1,816 college students from 10 universities. Analyses also examined whether impulsivity-like traits moderated the relationship between FNE and suicidal ideation. Results: Results showed that FNE was significantly associated with suicidal ideation and the positive association between FNE and suicidal ideation was strongest among individuals with higher negative urgency and lower perseverance. Conclusions: These findings highlight FNE as an important risk factor of suicidal ideation in college students and illuminates potential influence of impulsivity on this relationship.

Keywords:

• college students
• fear of negative evaluation
• impulsivity
• suicide ideation

Conflict of interest disclosure

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in the publication was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award number L30AA027026 (MCV) and K01AA023233 (MRP). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.