Chronic accessibility of suicide-related constructs in suicidal behavior
Résumé
Objective: This study examined whether chronic accessibility of suicide-related constructs differs across individuals with a history of suicidal ideation, planning, or attempts. Although situational increases in suicide-related accessibility have been documented experimentally, its chronic elevation among individuals with suicidal histories remains understudied. Method: A large purposive sample of young adults (N = 952) with moderate-to-high depressive symptoms completed a word-completion task assessing chronic cognitive accessibility of suicide- and sadness-related constructs. Participants were classified into four groups based on lifetime history: no suicidal behavior, ideation, planning, and attempts. Results: Suicide-related constructs were more chronically accessible among individuals with a history of suicide planning or attempts, but not among those reporting suicidal ideation alone, compared with individuals with no suicidal history. No comparable pattern was observed for sadness-related constructs. Discussion: These findings suggest that chronic accessibility of suicide-related cognitions may be a content-specific cognitive marker associated with more severe suicidal behavior. Further research is required to clarify its temporal dynamics and potential implications for suicide risk assessment.
https://hal.science/hal-05442150v1
Armand Chatard, Alexia Delbreil, Ghina Harika-Germaneau, Marc Besnier, Leila Selimbegovic, et al.. Chronic accessibility of suicide-related constructs in suicidal behavior. Psychiatry Research Communications, 2026, 6 (1), pp.100243. ⟨10.1016/j.psycom.2025.100243⟩. ⟨hal-05442150⟩
