(PS9-B29) Brooding Rumination and Suicidal Desire: Exploring the Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Suicide remains a global public health concern; in the United States alone, suicide rates have increased by 30% between 2000 and 2020 (Garnett et al., 2022). Rumination has been found to be a significant predictor of suicidal ideation, with brooding rumination being more strongly correlated with suicidal ideation compared to reflective rumination (Morrison & O’Connor, 2008; Law & Tucker, 2018). Previous studies have found that greater engagement in formal mindfulness practice is associated with decreases in rumination (Hawley et al., 2013). Furthermore, mindfulness-based interventions appear to promote clinically significant reductions in suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms (Schmelefske et al., 2020). Using self-report measures of rumination, suicidal desire, and mindfulness, we aimed to examine whether mindfulness moderates the relationship between rumination and proximal predictors of suicidal desire, namely perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness (Van Orden et al., 2010). We hypothesized that brooding rumination would significantly predict perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness and greater overall mindfulness would dampen these relationships. 

Participants who completed the study (N = 124; MAge = 21.22, SD = 5.44, 76.6% Female, 56.5% White) were recruited using an undergraduate recruitment system. Participants completed the Rumination Response Scale (RRS; Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991) to measure brooding rumination and the 15-item Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ-15; Van Orden et al., 2012), to measure perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Baer et al., 2006) was also used to measure overall mindfulness.  

We used R to conduct hierarchical regression analyses to examine the effects of brooding rumination on both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, as moderated by overall mindfulness. 

Models containing only the main effect of brooding rumination were significant. Specifically, the model examining the main effect of brooding rumination on burdensomeness was significant (F[2,121] = 5.602, p = .005, R2 = .08) as was the model examining the main effect of brooding rumination on belongingness (F[2,121] = 7.681, p < .001, R2 = .11). There was a significant main effect of brooding rumination on burdensomeness (b = .249, SE = .074, p = .001)  and a significant main effect of brooding rumination on belongingness (b = .792, SE = .202, p < .001). This is consistent with existing literature suggesting that brooding ruminative styles significantly predict both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. We did not however find significant interaction effects in either model. As such, our hypothesis that mindfulness would moderate the relationship between brooding rumination and suicidal desire was not supported. It may be that the relationship between ruminative responses and suicidal desire depends more on state-level increases in mindfulness (e.g., through active mindfulness practice) than dispositional mindfulness traits.