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Background: The incidence of suicide attempts peaks during adolescence, with adolescent girls having a higher rate of attempts than boys. Depression is one of the main risk factors of suicidal behaviour and yet not all adolescents with suicidal ideation or attempting suicide have a diagnosable depressive disorder. The present study examined the unique contributions to suicidal ideation and attempting suicide of cognitive processes known to be associated with depression and anxiety, but which are also transdiagnostic: anomalous perception of reality, intolerance of uncertainty, and rumination. Method: 605 adolescents (M= 13.22, SD= 1.03, 47% girls) were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Results: Multiple linear regression showed that the anomalous perception of reality and intolerance of uncertainty were uniquely associated with the severity of suicidal ideation, even when accounting for symptoms of depression and anxiety, but only amongst girls. In a logistic regression, self-reported depression symptoms, and not underlying cognitive processes, predicted the likelihood of a person having attempted suicide versus not having done so. Conclusions: In adolescent girls, less frequently evaluated transdiagnostic variables may have an important impact on suicidal ideation. However, depression symptoms, and not these transdiagnostic variables, seem to be the greatest contributor to attempting suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cannabis is the most widely used psychoactive substance among adolescents worldwide, and the age at which consumption begins to decrease. Cannabis use in adolescents is associated with a wide range of adverse consequences in adulthood including increased vulnerability to psychosis and other mental disorders, as well as suicidal ideation and attempt. The aim of this study is to extend understanding of the link between cannabis use and mental illness by examining whether cannabis use at early ages predicts transdiagnostic variables that are precursors to severe clinical diagnoses. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample was made up of 605 adolescents from 7th to 9th grades, with a mean age of 13.2 years (SD = 1.0, 47% girls). The variables evaluated were: anomalous perception of reality, intolerance of uncertainty, rumination, suicide attempt, hopelessness, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The administration of the questionnaires was carried out in groups of 20 participants under the supervision of a researcher in a unique session of 1 hour. Results: Adolescent cannabis users scored higher on all variables assessed: anomalous perception of reality (Cohen's d =.60), rumination (d =.48), intolerance of uncertainty (d =.11), suicidal attempt (affirmative answer: 25.9% of users vs 7.7% of non-users), hopelessness (d =.85), symptoms of depression (d =.80), and anxiety (d =.39). A binary logistic regression showed that the only variable uniquely related to cannabis use was hopelessness (Wald = 4.560, OR: 1.159, p =.033). Conclusions: Among some mental health risk factors, hopelessness appears uniquely related to cannabis use. Adolescents may use cannabis as a coping strategy for negative thoughts and emotions, or it may be a consequence of cannabis use. Future prevention programs should focus on preventing/treating modifiable factors such as hopelessness, and delaying cannabis use in specific subgroups of adolescents who experience pathologies such as depression or suicide attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been linked to a broad range of negative consequences. Thus, early detection and prevention of behaviors associated with IPV is necessary to combat this global public health problem. Controlling behaviors (CBs) within the intimate context, including acts to constrain free mobility or access to friends and relatives, have been characterized as a moderate form of violence and may be an indicator of more severe IPV. Previous research in this field, however, has been primarily conducted in the United States. Accordingly, we lack knowledge of similar findings in other countries to draw more general conclusions about observed associations between these variables, and to identify underlying mechanisms. The current study analyzes the role of control within the Spanish context by examining its correlates, as well as the role and impact of CBs on psychological and physical violence. To achieve these objectives, we use data from the Spanish sample of the Violence Against Women Survey carried out by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (N = 1,520 adult women). The results indicated that young women, women with a previous history of physical/sexual abuse during childhood, and women who have resided in Spain for fewer years are at greater risk of experiencing control within the context of an ongoing relationship. Partner risk factors included frequent episodes of drunkenness and general violence (i.e., violence outside of the home). In addition, control was more frequently reported among couples where the man was older than the woman. As hypothesized, women who reported CB by their partners were more likely to experience psychological and physical violence. These findings emphasize the importance of preventing CBs to avert the most severe forms of violence, and provides relevant information about the groups that could most benefit from these efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The link between engagement in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)–related activities on SNS (e.g. viewing, commenting, sharing and uploading NSSI content) with body image and NSSI behaviour remains under researched in adolescents with EDs. The main aim of the current research was to examine associations between NSSI-related activities on SNS with body image and NSSI behaviour severity among female adolescents diagnosed with an ED. A total of 52 female adolescents (mean age = 15.35 years, SD = 1.49) diagnosed with an ED completed self-report questionnaires related to NSSI behaviour, SNS usage and body image. Participants were divided into two groups: low NSSI behaviour severity (from 0 to 10 NSSI behaviours; n = 28) and high NSSI behaviour severity (more than ten NSSI behaviours; n = 24). Within the high NSSI severity group, individuals that comment and share NSSI online content significantly reported higher negative body image. A hierarchical binary logistic regression showed that the frequency of NSSI online content on SNS emerged as significant predictor of NSSI behaviour severity within last year after controlling for body image and searching for ED content on SNS. Our findings suggest that not only searching for ED content, but also being daily engaged in NSSI online activities may increase the risk of NSSI behaviour severity in female adolescents with EDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and the tendency to repetitively think in a negative way about oneself are established contributors to depression; however, no study has yet examined the unique and interacting effects of these variables to depression symptoms and diagnoses amongst people with major depressive disorder (MDD). People with MDD (n = 48) and diagnoses-free, community controls (n = 66) completed self-report measures of depression, anxiety and IU, as well as constructive (focusing on how events occurred) and unconstructive (focusing on how events felt) rumination. In a linear regression, greater IU and diminished constructive rumination, and the interaction between IU and unconstructive rumination, each explained variance in depression symptoms, even when anxiety symptoms were accounted for. In a logistic regression, these variables did not contribute towards MDD diagnoses once anxiety symptoms were accounted for. Rumination about one's mood is associated with enhanced distress during uncertainty, with detrimental effects for one's depression symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]