Longitudinal Associations Between Friendship Quality and Suicidal Ideation Among College Students

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the longitudinal associations between friendship quality and suicidal ideation among college students by separating between-person differences from within-person processes. METHODS: Participants were 6831 college students who completed four-wave measures of friendship quality and suicidal ideation. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used. RESULTS: Higher overall friendship quality was associated with lower overall suicidal ideation. Within persons, better-than-usual friendship quality was concurrently associated with lower-than-usual suicidal ideation. Lagged paths were less consistent: suicidal ideation was followed by lower friendship quality across three intervals, whereas friendship quality preceded lower suicidal ideation during the latter two intervals. CONCLUSIONS: Friendship quality is linked to suicidal ideation as both a stable interpersonal correlate and a dynamic within-person context. These findings provide a basis for future research examining the mechanisms and potential predictive relevance of changes in peer relationships.