Bayesian, network, and cross-validated modeling of suicidal ideation in people with suicide attempt histories

Suicidal ideation in people with suicide attempt histories may reflect dispositional, contextual, and interpersonal factors. We examined associations among Dark Triad traits, life-event stress, perceived social support, and suicidal ideation in 235 adults with suicide attempt histories recruited from several hospitals and clinics in Iran (53.6% women, 46.4% men; mean age = 33.97 years, SD = 7.90). Participants completed validated self-report measures, and data were analyzed using Bayesian path models, regularized partial-correlation networks, and repeated nested cross-validated elastic-net regression. Across analyses, greater life-event stress was associated with lower perceived social support, and lower perceived support was associated with greater suicidal ideation. Narcissism showed the clearest positive association with suicidal ideation among the Dark Triad traits. The network placed perceived social support at a central position in the multivariable system, and cross-validation indicated that models including perceived social support performed better than models without it. These cross-sectional findings identify perceived social support and narcissism as consistent correlates of suicidal ideation but do not establish temporal or causal relations.