Background: Suicidal ideation is a problem that disproportionately affects veterans. Moreover, veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appear to be at particularly high risk for suicide.
Objective: The purpose of the present research was to examine whether shame mediates the association between PTSD and suicidal ideation.
Methods: Secondary analyses were conducted in a sample of 201 veterans with PTSD seeking care through an outpatient Veterans Affairs specialty PTSD clinic.
Results: Path analysis revealed that shame fully accounted for the effects of PTSD on suicidal ideation, suggesting that shame may represent a key link between PTSD and suicidal ideation among veterans.
Limitations: Although the reverse mediation effect was also examined, the present sample was cross-sectional and predominantly male.
Conclusions: The present findings suggest that shame may be an effective point of treatment intervention to reduce suicidal ideation among veterans with PTSD; however, additional prospective research is still needed to delineate the precise nature of these associations over time.
Keywords: Emotions; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Shame; Suicidal ideation; Suicide; Veterans.
Published by Elsevier B.V.