A Longitudinal Study of Suicidal Ideation in Sexually Abused Adolescent Girls: Depressive Symptoms and Affect Dysregulation as Predictors

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with many repercussions on adolescents' mental health, including suicidal ideation. Yet, the mechanisms linking CSA to adverse outcomes have rarely been investigated within a longitudinal design. The current study aimed to examine the role of affect dysregulation in the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation 1year after the first assessment in a sample of 119 sexually abused adolescent girls. An integrative mediational model was conceptualized to examine the explicatory role of affect dysregulation (Time 2) in the association between depressive symptoms (Time 1) and suicidal ideation (Time 3). Approximately 31% of the girls reported suicidal ideation at Time 3. Path analysis with logistic regressions revealed that the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation presence was partly explained by affect dysregulation, which increased the risk of suicidal ideation presence by 18.4%,OR= 1.18, 95% CI [1.07, 1.33]. The integrative model explained 21.5% of the variance in suicidal ideation. These findings identify potential predictors of suicidal ideation among sexually abused adolescent girls. This present study highlights the role of affect dysregulation in the presence of suicidal ideation and provides potential targets for intervention practices when working with adolescent girl victims of CSA. As such, interventions for this vulnerable population should aim to decrease depressive symptoms and affect dysregulation to reduce suicidal risk.