ATTACHMENT STYLES AND SUICIDE RISK: THE EFFECTS OF NEUROTICISM AND MALADAPTIVE DAYDREAMING

Suicide remains a significant public health concern, necessitating a deeper understanding of the psychological factors contributing to suicidal ideation and behavior.Attachment theory posits that early relationships with caregivers shape emotional and behavioral responses throughout life, influencing interpersonal relationships and mental health.Neuroticism, characterized by heightened emotional instability and negative affectivity, has been linked to various mental health outcomes, including suicidal behavior.Similarly, maladaptive daydreaming (MD), marked by excessive fantasy and escapism, may exacerbate feelings of isolation and despair.This study thus aimed to examine whether neuroticism and MD play a sequential mediating role in the relationship between attachment styles (AS) and suicide risk (SR).In this study, 1152 young adults (50% women) aged 18 to 25 years (M=21.48,SD=2.31) engaged in an online survey and completed self-report questionnaires assessing their AS, neuroticism, MD, and SR.The analysis utilized hybrid structural equation modeling (SEM) to test for mediation effects.Four models were tested, one for each AS: secure (SA), dismissing (DA), preoccupied (PA), and fearful (FA).The models showed a good fit.Specifically, SA model: 2( 36)=237.73;p<.001, CFI=.97,RMSEA=.07 (90% CI=.06-.08),SRMR=.04;DA model: 2(36)=230.52;p<.001, CFI=.97,RMSEA=.07 (90% CI=.06-.08),SRMR=.04;PA model: 2(36)=233.01;p<.001, CFI=.97,RMSEA=.07 (90% CI=.06-.08),SRMR=.04;FA model: 2(36)=226.52;p<.001, CFI=.97,RMSEA=.07 (90% CI=.06-.08),SRMR=.04.The findings indicated that SA did not exhibit a direct relationship with SR; however, it was linked to SR through the mediating influence of neuroticism.Conversely, DA showed no significant correlations with the other variables.The relationship between PA and SR was fully mediated by neuroticism and MD, while the association between FA and SR was partially mediated by these factors.All the other paths were statistically significant.The findings suggest that targeting neuroticism and MD may be crucial for reducing SR, particularly among individuals with certain AS.Additionally, the results highlight the need for personalized interventions tailored to specific AS, as different AS may be more strongly linked to specific negative outcomes compared to others.By tailoring strategies to address specific AS and specific factors such as neuroticism and MD, practitioners can thus better target the root causes of suicide risk.