Abstract

Objective

Emotion regulation has been proposed as a mechanism driving sexual orientation disparities in suicide ideation (SI), but little research has examined the role of affect lability in the association of sexual minority identity and SI. As prior research has found trait mindfulness to be associated with lower SI, the objective of the present study was to examine the buffering role of mindfulness in the associations of sexual orientation, affect lability, and SI.

Method

The present study used a moderated mediation model to examine a cross-sectional dataset consisting of heterosexual (n = 1511) and sexual minority (n = 355) U.S. college students (N = 1866), to examine whether five facets of mindfulness moderated the indirect association of sexual minority identity on SI via affect lability.

Results

As predicted, sexual minority identity was associated with higher affect lability, which in turn was associated with higher SI. Acting with awareness (i.e., attending to the present activities), describing (i.e., the ability to verbalize inner experiences), and non-judging (i.e., refraining from judging inner experiences) buffered the indirect association of sexual minority identity on SI via affect lability, such that the indirect association weakened at higher levels of those mindfulness facets.

Conclusions

Our results provide a better understanding of the emotion regulation mechanisms underlying the higher risk of SI among sexual minorities. Future research is needed to examine mindfulness facets as buffers against SI among other communities, and to examine the efficacy of emotion regulation and mindfulness interventions in reducing suicide ideation and other aspects of suicidality (i.e., plans/attempts).

• Highlights

• Sexual orientation disparities in suicide ideation (SI) and affect lability.

• Sexual minority identity linked to higher SI via higher affect lability.

• Three mindfulness facets attenuated indirect association of identity on SI.

中文翻译：

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性少数地位、情感不稳定性和自杀意念：特质正念的缓冲作用

摘要

客观的

情绪调节被认为是导致自杀意念 (SI) 中性取向差异的一种机制，但很少有研究探讨情感不稳定性在性少数认同与 SI 之间的关联中的作用。由于先前的研究发现特质正念与较低的 SI 相关，因此本研究的目的是检验正念在性取向、情感不稳定性和 SI 之间的关联中的缓冲作用。

方法

本研究使用有调节的中介模型来检查由异性恋（n  = 1511）和性少数（n  = 355）美国大学生（n  = 1866）组成的横截面数据集，以检查正念的五个方面是否调节了间接通过情感不稳定性将性少数群体身份与 SI 联系起来。

结果

正如预测的那样，性少数群体身份与较高的情感不稳定性相关，而情感不稳定性又与较高的 SI 相关。有意识地行动（即，关注当前活动）、描述（即，用语言表达内心体验的能力）和不评判（即，避免评判内心体验）通过情感缓冲了性少数群体身份与 SI 的间接关联不稳定性，使得间接关联在这些正念方面的较高水平上减弱。

结论

我们的研究结果让我们更好地了解性少数人群患 SI 风险较高背后的情绪调节机制。未来的研究需要检验正念方面作为其他群体中 SI 的缓冲剂，并检验情绪调节和正念干预在减少自杀意念和自杀其他方面（即计划/尝试）方面的功效。

• 强调

• 自杀意念 (SI) 中的性取向差异并影响不稳定性。

• 性少数群体身份通过较高的情感不稳定性与较高的 SI 相关。

• 三个正念方面削弱了 SI 上身份的间接关联。