Stability and cross-lagged associations of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, suicidal ideation and NSSI in adolescents

Interpersonal relationships are central to the adolescent developmental period, a time in which suicidal ideation (SI) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) also are prevalent. Yet interpersonal risk for adolescent SI and NSSI remains under-researched in adolescents. The current study examined two known interpersonal risk factors for SI, thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB), and their longitudinal associations with SI and NSSI over 3- and 6-months in a sample of 186 adolescents ( M age = 15.68, SD age = 1.49; 69.9% female-identified; 87.6% White) from the northeastern United States. Results from path modeling of three-wave, cross-lagged panel models indicated that TB, PB, SI, and NSSI were stable over time and that PB was more strongly correlated with SI and NSSI than was TB. Findings suggest that TB and PB are relatively stable constructs, and PB may be more relevant for prediction and prevention strategies to address adolescent SI and NSSI compared to TB.