(PS11-A15) Posttraumatic Stress and Suicidal Ideation and Risk Among University Students: Exploring the Role of Shame

Suicidal ideation and behavior are increasing among university students. A well-established literature has documented associations of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology with suicidal ideation and suicide risk. Shame is an emotional experience often inherent to the experience of PTSD symptomatology and it has been related to both PTSD symptom severity and as a predictor of suicidal ideation and behavior. To date, few studies have examined associations of PTSD symptoms, shame, and suicide risk, generally, and available literature has focused on military samples exclusively. Therefore, the current study examined, among trauma-exposed university students, the association of PTSD symptomatology with suicidal ideation and suicide risk through shame. Participants (N = 1,698; 78.7% women; Mage = 21.3; SD = 4.3; 42.2% White, 33.5% Asian, 13.1% Black or African American, 8.8% Other, 1.8% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 0.7% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 66.7% Not Hispanic or Latino) included university students from a large public university in the southern United States who completed an online survey. Trauma load (i.e., number of traumatic event types experienced) was included as a covariate. Results indicated that shame statistically explained (i.e., mediated) the association of PTSD symptomatology with suicidal ideation and suicide risk. Results present replication and extension of extant work on PTSD, shame, and suicidal ideation and behaviors among university students with potential to inform and advance university mental health outreach programs and policy.