Prospective Associations of Coping Styles With Depression and Suicide Risk Among Psychiatric Emergency Patients

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for those ages 13–25 in the United States. Coping is a mediator between stressful life events and adverse outcomes, and coping skills have been incorporated into interventions (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, safety-planning interventions) for suicidal populations. However, longitudinal research has not directly examined the prospective associations between multiple coping styles and suicide-related outcomes in high-risk samples. This study identified cross-sectional and 4-month longitudinal associations of coping styles with suicide risk factors (i.e., depression, suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior) in a sample of 286 adolescent and young adult psychiatric emergency patients. Positive reframing was the coping style most consistently associated with positive outcomes, whereas self-blame and disengagement were consistently associated with negative outcomes. Active coping protected against suicidal behavior for males, but not for females. This was the first study to examine longitudinal relationships between coping and suicide-related outcomes in a high-risk clinical sample. Findings suggest that clinical interventions with suicidal adolescents and young adults may benefit from a specific focus on increasing positive reframing and reducing self-blame.