Writing a suicide note: Testing the effects of childhood trauma and psychache

Abstract

Using a cross-sectional design, this study examined the relationship between childhood trauma and the writing of a suicide note as well as the mediation and moderation effects of psychache (i.e., psychological pain) on this relationship. A non-clinical sample of 1012 young adults aged 17 to 29 years (M = 19.56; SD = 1.94; 3.7% > 25 years) participated. A mediation model was tested using path analysis through structural equation modeling, and a moderation model was tested using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, while statistically controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables. A partial mediating effect of psychological pain was found in the association between childhood trauma and writing a suicide note. Psychache also interacted and potentiated the relationship of childhood trauma with writing a suicide note. As such, psychache assists in explaining why and when individuals who have experienced more traumatic events in childhood are more likely to write suicide notes.