The role of lived childhood trauma experience and self-destruction on suicidal ideation: The mediating effect of emotional suppression

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of lived experience of trauma in childhood and self-destructiveness on the suicide ideation with the mediating effect of emotional suppression. In this reason in a cross-sectional and correlational study, from Payame Noor University of Ilam province (PNU), 233 colledge students (116 male and 117 female) with an age range of 19 to 30 years and undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees were chosen using convenience sampling method. Then, they were evaluated by using the following measures: Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Mohammadkhani Child Abuse Self-Report Scale, Sansone & Sansone Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) and Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI). The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS-22 and Lisrel 8.85. The results of structural equations showed that childhood trauma has a significant direct and positive effect on suicidal ideation. On the other hand, self-destruction has a positive and significant relationship with suicidal ideation. Trauma has an indirect effect on suicidal ideation through emotional suppression. Also, self-destruction through the mediation of emotional suppression affects suicidal ideation. Based on these findings, we could state that emotional suppression can have a significant mediating role between childhood trauma, self-harm and suicidal ideation. The findings have implications for the use of emotion interventions aimed at the effective regulation of emotion to reduce the suicide ideation.