Emotional Disorders, Distress Tolerance and Suicide Risk: A Mediation Model

Abstract

Background: Suicide has been linked to psychopathology, particularly emotional disorders. This study seeks to investigate the mediating role of distress tolerance in the relationship between emotional symptoms and suicide risk. Method: The sample included 1014 adults (33.82% male; M = 33.0, SD = 15.15). Four mediation analyses were performed, controlling for sex, for depressive, anxious, somatizing and obsessive symptoms measured with the Brief Symptom Checklist as the independent variable, distress tolerance, measured with the Distress Tolerance Scale as the mediating variable, and the risk of making a suicide attempt, measured with Risk of Suicide, as the dependent variable. Results: Distress tolerance partially mediated the relationship between emotional symptoms and suicide risk, with Appraisal and Absorption scales positively mediating, and Tolerance negatively mediating. Conclusions: Tolerance of distress plays a role in risk of suicide attempts. Distress tolerance needs to be addressed as a key transdiagnostic factor in reducing suicidal risk.