Exploring suicidal behaviour through implicit identity and control biases: Findings from the Death-Implicit Association Test and its novel control-adaptation
Objective: This study examined two Death-Implicit Association Test versions targeting associations between the self-concept (standard identity D-IAT; iD-IAT) and internal versus external control (adapted control D-IAT; cD-IAT) and death among suicide attempters. Additionally, correlations with expli...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-10-01
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| Series: | Comprehensive Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X25000495 |
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| Summary: | Objective: This study examined two Death-Implicit Association Test versions targeting associations between the self-concept (standard identity D-IAT; iD-IAT) and internal versus external control (adapted control D-IAT; cD-IAT) and death among suicide attempters. Additionally, correlations with explicit psychological variables and psychometrics were explored. Method: 116 psychiatric inpatients (58.1 % female; age M = 33.6, SD = 12.4) were classified as single versus multiple and recent versus lifetime suicide attempters. Implicit associations were measured using the iD-IAT and cD-IAT. Self-report measures included constructs relevant to suicidal behaviour. Results: Recent attempters showed weaker self-life (t(114) = 2.18, p = .016) and internal control-life (t(114) = 2.26, p = .013) associations than lifetime attempters. Multiple attempters exhibited weaker internal control-life associations than single attempters (t(114) = 2.25, p = .007). The iD-IAT correlated with suicidal ideation (rs(114) = 0.20, p = .032), depression (rs(114) = 0.20, p = .033) and external control (rs(114) = 0.21, p = .021), the cD-IAT with suicidal ideation (rs(114) = 0.25, p = .006) and depression (rs(114) = 0.26, p = .006). The cD-IAT predicted multiple attempts (χ2(1116) = 3.88, p = .049), showed higher internal consistency (rsb =. 31, p = .001) and predictive validity in detecting multiple (AUC = 0.64; p = .013) and recent (AUC = 0.62; p = .028) attempters than the iD-IAT. Conclusions: The cD-IAT shows preliminary potential to differentiate suicidal behaviour based on recency and frequency, offering a tentative step toward understanding cognitive vulnerabilities of at-risk subgroups, warranting further refinement, validation and prospective analyses. |
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| ISSN: | 0010-440X |