Mapping out the connectedness-meaning construct space and its implications for understanding suicide risk

Connectedness is a key protective factor against suicide and plays a critical role in several theories of suicide. Although typically operationalized as social connection, some theorists define connectedness more broadly, as anything that makes a person feel connected to being alive. From this perspective, connectedness includes social connection but can also include other forms of connection, such as meaning, purpose, work, and spirituality. It is surprising that factor analytic work has not mapped this broader construct space. This study addressed that gap by examining the structure of connectedness and clarifying which parts were most related to suicidal desire. In 1,909 undergraduate students, we collected data on 201 candidate connectedness items from 19 measures. In the first half of the sample, exploratory factor analyses identified candidate structures, including whether different parts of connectedness could be subsumed under a higher-order factor. We then evaluated viable structures with confirmatory factor analyses in the second half. The best-supported structure included 10 factors: Meaning/Mattering, General Social Connection, Close Personal Social Connection, Purpose, Accomplished Life, Coherence/Spirituality, Work, Interest in Learning, Family, and Ethnicity. A higher-order model was also supported, suggesting that connectedness may be multidimensional while still reflecting a broader construct. All 10 factors were negatively associated with suicidal desire. However, Meaning/Mattering had the strongest association and remained robust when controlling for the other nine factors. Only Mattering continued to relate to suicidal desire at a substantial magnitude in adjusted analyses. These findings support further work on broad connectedness, especially mattering.