AFFECTIVE AND BEHAVIORAL PATHS TOWARD THE ACQUIRED CAPACITY FOR SUICIDE

Suicide is a major public health concern and, as such, research that elucidates potential mechanisms contributing to suicide risk is highly important. Along these lines, prior research has linked high levels of distress tolerance with elevations in a specific component of suicide risk: the acquired capability for suicide. The following two studies aimed to examine whether sensation seeking-the tendency to seek out activities involving risk or thrill-moderates the previously established relationship between distress tolerance and the acquired capability, such that a heightened ability to tolerate emotional distress was more strongly related to the acquired capability amongst people with greater risk taking tendencies. Study 1 examined this possibility using self-report measures in an undergraduate population. Results indicated that individuals reporting high levels of both distress tolerance and sensation seeking exhibited the highest level of the acquired capability. In Study 2, using a separate undergraduate population, a behavioral measure of distress tolerance was utilized and the interaction of distress tolerance and sensation seeking yielded a similar pattern of results in the prediction of one component of the acquired capability: physiological pain tolerance. Results indicate that the degree to which individuals who do not experience negative affect as overwhelming may be at risk for elevations in the acquired capability is dependent upon their level of sensation seeking.