Hopelessness Regarding Thwarted Belongingness and Perceived Burdensomeness

Numerous theories of suicide converge on the importance of hopelessness as a crucial factor driving suicidal desire. Recent theories of suicide including the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) and the ideation-to-action framework focus on the importance of understanding what contributes to the transition from suicidal thoughts to suicidal actions. The ITS posits that hopelessness, specifically about thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness (i.e. interpersonal hopelessness), is the key factor that transforms passive thoughts about death and suicide into active thoughts about and planning for suicide. This study will evaluate a newly developed measure to evaluate interpersonal hopelessness and test the specific assertions of the ITS regarding the role of hopelessness in suicidal desire and suicide risk overall. Three unique populations including an undergraduate student sample, community adult sample, and a geographically diverse Internet responding sample were assessed to evaluate these hypotheses. The newly created measure of interpersonal hopelessness, while reliable, did not appear to be a valid indicator of hopelessness as predicted. This problem of validity may have contributed to the lack of consistent support for each of the primary hypotheses in this study. While future research should continue to investigate the specific role of interpersonal hopelessness within the context of suicide risk, an alternative measure should be developed and tested to assess interpersonal hopelessness in a more valid way.