Sequential Pathways to Suicidal Ideation: Refining the IMV Model in a Trauma-Exposed Iranian Sample

This study examined associations between childhood trauma (CT) and suicidal ideation (SI) through a mediational path including attachment difficulties (ATT) and entrapment (ENT) in a sequential (CT to ATT to ENT to SI) and parallel (CT to ATT to SI; CT to ENT to SI) manner within the integrated motivational–volitional (IMV) framework. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM (MGSEM) were conducted using the R package lavaan. Data were collected from 694 trauma-exposed adults in Tehran, Iran—a collectivist context with rising suicide rates. The serial model demonstrated significantly better fit than the parallel model (serial: χ2 (37) = 136.72, CFI =.96, RMSEA = .06; parallel: χ2 (38) = 409.70, CFI =.86, RMSEA =.12), accounting for 44.5% of the variance in suicidal ideation and 68.3% of the variance in entrapment. Emotional abuse and neglect emerged as the strongest predictors in the model. Gender and the history of previous suicide attempt were considered as moderators for the model through MGSEM, while gender clarifies how interpersonal vulnerabilities shape motivational processes; attempt history, typically known as a volitional factor, explains the recurrence of SI in trauma-exposed individuals. These findings provide cross-sectional support for the IMV framework by showing the sequential roles of ATT and ENT as mediators of CT’s association with SI, while prioritizing interpersonal factors over defeat due to measurement constraints, and offer insights for targeted interventions addressing these psychological mechanisms in Iran.