Predicting College Students Lack of Longevity Promotion: From Family-of-origin chaos, through Current Unmet Interpersonal Needs, to Life-Diminishing Behavior

Identifying modifiable predictors of life-diminishing behaviors is paramount for health professionals seeking to promote the probability of longevity among young adults who can be at risk for suicide, overdose, and accidental injury and death. Family-of-origin experiences and unmet interpersonal needs are well-known risk factors for suicide; however, they have yet to be tested as predictors of a broad array of life-diminishing behaviors. College student participants (N=522, M=19.6 years) who were majority female (66.7%) and diverse (57.3% White) completed measures of family of-origin chaos, interpersonal needs, and engagement in four types of life-diminishing behaviors as measured via the Life-Attitudes Schedule: Short Form (LAS:SF). The LAS:SF assesses engagement in both potentially life-diminishing as well as potentially longevity-promoting behaviors; the overall construct assessed has been labelled lack of longevity promotion or suicide proneness. As expected, a history of greater family-of-origin chaos and current unmet interpersonal needs were associated with overall LAS:SF scores with medium effect sizes. Furthermore, the interaction between perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness mediated the relationship between family-of-origin chaos and total LAS:SF scores, accounting for 20% of the variance in college students’ lack of longevity promotion. Importantly, the model held for each of the four lack of longevity proneness/suicide proneness domains (Lack of Health/Illness Promotion, Lack of Safety/Risk Promotion, Lack of Future Orientation/ Death or Suicide Promotion, and Lack of Self-Promotion) and across multiple demographic groups. Assessing and addressing interpersonal needs is an emerging intervention target for those seeking to improve at-risk young adults’ well-being while promoting longevity and preventing suicide and accidental death.