Abstract

Youth suicidal ideation is regarded as a serious psychological problem that hinders their mental health development. Parental attachment is considered a critical factor linked with youth suicidal ideation, but existing findings are still inconsistent. The present study was based on the PRISMA method; it employed a three-level meta-analysis to obtain reliable estimates of effect size and examined a range of moderators (sample, publication, outcome). Through the retrieval of articles published before November 2020, a systematic search yielded 31 independent studies (N = 12848) from which 109 effect sizes could be extracted. The present meta-analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between parental attachment and youth suicidal ideation (r = −0.108, p < 0.001), implying that youths show a higher level of suicidal ideation when they experienced lower quality of parental attachment. Moreover, the overall association was influenced by different parental attachment patterns. More specifically, youth suicidal ideation was more strongly associated with parental alienation (r = 0.501, p < 0.001) than with parental communication (r = −0.173, p < 0.001). The moderator analyses also showed that the type of instrument used was a significant moderator of the association between parental attachment and youth suicidal ideation. The strength of the overall association was significantly stronger when measured with the IPPA (Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment) (r = −0.181, p = 0.003) than with the ECR (Experiences in Close Relationships) (r = 0.085, p = 0.003). These results indicate that assessing parental attachment is important in strengthening interventions that target suicidal ideation among youths.

• HIGHLIGHTS

• Our analysis revealed a significant negative association between parental attachment and youth.

• Specifically, the presence of a secure relationship with parents, as perceived by the youth, brings forth feelings of appreciation, acceptance, safety, and confidence, that predispose the individual to seek help in a more consistent manner and to resist to maladjusted behavior when faced with adversity. However, a low quality of attachment produces cognitions associated with perceived burdensomeness and failed belongingness, which increase a youth’s vulnerability to suicidal ideation.

• The parental attachment pattern showed a significant moderating effect on the association between parental attachment and youth suicidal ideation.

• Regarding the association between parental attachment and youth suicidal ideation, we observed that the manner in which parental attachment is measured is another moderating effect.

摘要

青少年自杀意念被视为严重的心理问题，阻碍其心理健康发展。父母依恋被认为是与青少年自杀意念相关的一个关键因素，但现有的研究结果仍然不一致。本研究基于 PRISMA 方法；它采用三级荟萃分析来获得可靠的效应量估计，并检查了一系列调节因素（样本、出版物、结果）。通过检索 2020 年 11 月之前发表的文章，系统搜索产生了 31 项独立研究（N  = 12848），从中可以提取 109 个效应量。目前的荟萃分析显示父母依恋与青少年自杀意念之间存在显着负相关（r = -0.108，p < 0.001)，这意味着青少年在体验到较低质量的父母依恋时会表现出更高水平的自杀意念。此外，整体关联受到不同父母依恋模式的影响。更具体地说，青少年自杀意念与父母疏远 ( r  = 0.501, p  < 0.001) 的相关性比与父母沟通 ( r = −0.173, p < 0.001)的相关性更强 。调节分析还表明，使用的工具类型是父母依恋与青少年自杀意念之间关联的重要调节因素。当使用 IPPA（父母和同伴依恋清单）测量时，整体关联的强度显着增强（r= −0.181, p  = 0.003) 而不是 ECR（亲密关系中的经历）（r  = 0.085, p  = 0.003）。这些结果表明，评估父母依恋对于加强针对青少年自杀意念的干预措施很重要。

• 强调

• 我们的分析揭示了父母依恋与青少年之间存在显着的负相关。

• 具体而言，青少年认为与父母之间存在安全关系会带来欣赏、接受、安全和自信的感觉，这使个人倾向于以更一致的方式寻求帮助，并在面对时抵制不适应的行为与逆境。然而，低质量的依恋会产生与感知到的负担和失败的归属感相关的认知，这会增加年轻人对自杀意念的脆弱性。

• 父母依恋模式对父母依恋与青少年自杀意念之间的关联有显着的调节作用。

• 关于父母依恋与青少年自杀意念之间的关联，我们观察到衡量父母依恋的方式是另一种调节作用。