Reduced Trust in Bodily Sensations Predicts Suicidal Ideation in Hospitalized Patients With Major Depression: An Observational Study

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with maladaptive self‐reported interoception, that is, abnormal bodily self‐experience. Although diminished body trust predicts suicidal ideation, interoceptive measures have not been considered in depressed inpatients, whose suicide risk regularly peaks post‐discharge. This study aims to explore interoceptive characteristics at admission that help identify inpatients at risk for suicidal ideation at discharge. Methods The observational study included 87 depressed inpatients providing self‐ratings at both hospital admission (T0) and discharge (T1) on the BDI‐II and MAIA‐2. The statistical analysis included hierarchical logistic regression models and used ROC curve analysis to establish optimal cutpoints. Results Suicidal ideation was found in 17.24% of patients at discharge, who reported lower baseline MAIA‐2 Trusting scores than non‐ideators ( p = 0.01). Diminished Trusting (OR = 0.19), somatic comorbidity (OR = 16.77), and baseline suicidal ideation (OR = 24.01) significantly predicted suicidal ideation (T1). For Trusting , we estimated an optimal classification of subsequent suicidal ideation for the cutpoint ≤ 2.33 (AUC = 0.70 [95% CI 0.57, 0.83], sensitivity = 0.87, specificity = 0.44, positive predictive value = 0.25, negative predictive value = 0.94). Conclusions Diminished body trust is a significant predictor for post‐treatment suicidal ideation in depressed inpatients. This finding emphasizes the importance of incorporating body‐centered approaches into multimodal treatment strategies, especially in inpatients under risk to prevent suicidal incidents.