Investigating Suicidal Ideation in Iranian Individuals With Emotional Disorders Through the Lens of the Three-Step Theory.

OBJECTIVE

Suicidal ideation (SI) in emotional disorders has received increasing attention in recent decades, but the specific psychological factors associated with SI in emotional disorders according to recent theories are not well understood. The current study sought to assess the emotional pain × hopelessness in relation to the three-step theory (3ST) among individuals with emotional disorders.

METHODS

Participants who were diagnosed with emotional disorders (n = 119) completed self-report measures assessing SI, hopelessness, emotional pain, and connectedness. Regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of the interaction of emotional pain and hopelessness with SI. The potential moderating role of connectedness was also assessed.

RESULTS

Findings indicated that a substantial variance of SI (45%) was explained by an interactive model of emotional pain and hopelessness ( F 3.115 = 31.39 , p < 0.001 ) . Additionally, connectedness did not moderate the association between emotional pain and SI ( p = 0.808 ) . An exploratory three-way interaction (i.e., emotional pain × hopelessness × connectedness) was marginally significant ( β = 0.19 , p = 0.053 ) , suggesting its role may depend on hopelessness levels.

CONCLUSION

The findings offer novel insights into the psychological correlates of SI in emotional disorders by underscoring the significant association of emotional pain and hopelessness. Despite that, the factors related to SI in individuals with emotional disorders are complex and warrants further evaluation through longitudinal studies.