Suicide rates are highest in adults of middle and older age. Research with psychiatric patients has shown that proneness to feel regret about past decisions can grow so intense that suicide becomes a tempting escape. Here, we examine the additional role of individual differences in maximizing, or the tendency to strive for the best decision, rather than one that is good enough. We provided individual-differences measures of maximizing, regret proneness, and negative life decision outcomes (as reported on the Decision Outcome Inventory or DOI) to a non-psychiatric control group, as well as three groups of psychiatric patients in treatment for suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, or non-suicidal depression. We found that scores on the three individual-differences measures were worse for psychiatric patients than for non-psychiatric controls, and were correlated to clinical assessments of depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. More importantly, maximizing was associated with these clinical assessments, even after taking into account maximizers' worse life decision outcomes. Regret proneness significantly mediated those relationships, suggesting that maximizers could be at risk for clinical depression because of their proneness to regret. We discuss the theoretical relevance of our findings and their promise for clinical practice. Ultimately, late-life depression and suicidal ideation may be treated with interventions that promote better decision making and regret regulation.

中文翻译：

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晚年抑郁、自杀意念和自杀未遂：个体差异在最大化、后悔和消极决策结果中的作用

中老年人的自杀率最高。对精神病患者的研究表明，对过去的决定感到后悔的倾向会变得如此强烈，以至于自杀成为一种诱人的逃避。在这里，我们研究了个体差异在最大化中的额外作用，或争取最佳决策的倾向，而不是一个足够好的决策。我们向非精神病控制组以及三组接受自杀未遂治疗的精神病患者提供了最大化、后悔倾向和消极生活决策结果（如决策结果清单或 DOI 中报告的）的个体差异测量，自杀意念或非自杀性抑郁症。我们发现精神病患者的三个个体差异测量的得分比非精神病患者更差，并且与抑郁、绝望和自杀意念的临床评估相关。更重要的是，最大化与这些临床评估相关，即使考虑到最大化者更糟糕的生活决策结果。后悔倾向显着调节了这些关系，这表明最大化者可能会因后悔倾向而面临临床抑郁症的风险。我们讨论了我们的研究结果的理论相关性及其对临床实践的承诺。最终，晚年抑郁症和自杀意念可以通过促进更好决策和后悔调节的干预措施来治疗。即使考虑到最大化者更糟糕的生活决策结果。后悔倾向显着调节了这些关系，这表明最大化者可能会因后悔倾向而面临临床抑郁症的风险。我们讨论了我们的研究结果的理论相关性及其对临床实践的承诺。最终，晚年抑郁症和自杀意念可以通过促进更好决策和后悔调节的干预措施来治疗。即使考虑到最大化者更糟糕的生活决策结果。后悔倾向显着调节了这些关系，这表明最大化者可能会因后悔倾向而面临临床抑郁症的风险。我们讨论了我们的研究结果的理论相关性及其对临床实践的承诺。最终，晚年抑郁症和自杀意念可以通过促进更好决策和后悔调节的干预措施来治疗。