Interpersonal needs and suicide risk: The moderating roles of sex and brooding

OBJECTIVES: This paper tested two moderators, brooding and participant sex, on the respective relations between thwarted belongingness (TB), perceived burdensomeness (PB), and suicide risk. METHOD: Using a cross-sectional design in a sample of undergraduates (N = 278), two hierarchical regression models examining the three-way interaction between brooding, sex, and either TB or PB on suicide risk were conducted. RESULTS: A significant two-way interaction of brooding and TB was detected, but no moderating effect of sex was observed. There was a significant three-way interaction of brooding, sex, and PB on suicide risk. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of TB and brooding produce increased suicide risk across sexes. The relation between PB and suicide risk is dependent on brooding for females but not males.