Suicide among young people is an increasingly prevalent and devastating public health crisis around the world. To reduce the rate of suicide, it is important to identify factors that can help us better predict suicidal ideation and behaviors. Adolescent temperament (Effortful Control, Negative Emotionality, Positive Emotionality) may be a source of risk and resilience for the onset of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts. The present study uses longitudinal data from a large community sample of Mexican-origin youth (N=674), assessed annually from age 12 to 21, to examine how temperament is associated with the onset of suicidal ideation and behaviors during adolescence and young adulthood. Results indicate that higher levels of Effortful Control (Activation Control, Inhibitory Control, Attention) are associated with decreased probability of experiencing the onset of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts, whereas higher levels of Negative Emotionality (particularly Aggression, Frustration, and Depressed Mood) are associated with increased probability of experiencing the onset of suicidal ideation and behaviors. Positive Emotionality (Surgency, Affiliation) was not associated with the onset of suicidal ideation and behaviors. Supplemental analyses showed conceptually similar findings for the Big Five, with Conscientiousness associated with decreased risk, Neuroticism associated with increased risk, and the other three dimensions showing largely null results. No meaningful differences emerged between boys and girls, or youth born in the U.S. versus Mexico. Overall, these findings suggest that adolescent temperament serves as both a risk factor (via Negative Emotionality) and a protective factor (via Effortful Control) for suicidal ideation and behaviors in Mexican-origin youth.
Longitudinal relations of children’s effortful control, impulsivity, and negative emotionality to their externalizing, internalizing, and co-occurring behavior problems.
