Latent Profile Analysis of Urges for Suicidal and Self-Harming Behavior: The Role of Social Support Instability

Abstract

College counseling centers are seeing increasing rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among students. The high degree of need and limited resources underscores the need for novel approaches to identify at-risk students. We used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify subgroups of students (n = 371) with different patterns of interpersonal factors and examine whether these subgroups differed by risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. The best-fitting LPA had three profiles, which differed in urges to die by suicide and engage in NSSI. The profile with low average social support and higher instability (greater day-to-day fluctuations of self-reported social support and rejection) was associated with greatest risk, suggesting that this combination leaves individuals more vulnerable to suicide and NSSI.

Keywords:

• College mental health
• ecological momentary assessment
• nonsuicidal self-injury
• rejection
• risk assessment
• suicide

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the author, [EK], upon reasonable request.

Notes

1 Participants who were excluded for having fewer than 25 data points did not differ significantly from those who were included on any of the EMA measures (p’s range from .168 to .494)

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Allison K. Ruork

Allison K. Ruork, PhD, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.

Joseph S. Maimone

Joseph S. Maimone, PhD, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Kate H. Bentley

Kate H. Bentley, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Evan M. Kleiman

Evan M. Kleiman, Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.