Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Mood Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1383907

Negative interaction between emotional vulnerability and depressive symptoms may heighten suicidal ideation among Japanese university students: A cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
Shinji Yamaguchi Shinji Yamaguchi 1*Daiki Nagamine Daiki Nagamine 1Kojiro Matsuda Kojiro Matsuda 2Yuka Murofushi Yuka Murofushi 3
  • 1 Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Japan
  • 2 Kumamoto Gakuen University, Kumamoto, Japan
  • 3 Juntendo University, Bunkyō, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Studies examining the relationships among suicidal ideation, emotional vulnerability, and depressive symptoms are scarce. This study examined the effects of emotional vulnerability and depressive symptoms on suicidal ideation among Japanese university students. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 370 Japanese university students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Results: In the multiple regression analysis, depressive symptoms were significant (β = .46, p < .001) but emotional vulnerability was not (β = .05, p = .318). A significant interaction emerged between emotional vulnerability and depressive symptoms (β = .22, p < .001). The model's R 2 value was .31 (p < .001). Simple slopes tests revealed the impact of depressive symptoms on suicidal ideation, even with low emotional vulnerability (b = .06, β = .27, p < .001), and a higher impact with high emotional vulnerability (b = .15, β = .65, p < .001). Discussion: The negative interaction between emotional vulnerability and depressive symptoms may heighten suicidal ideation among Japanese university students. Interventions targeting emotional vulnerability may help reduce suicidal ideation and achieve lower suicide rates.

    Keywords: emotional vulnerability, Suicidal Ideation, depressive symptoms, Mental Health, Cross-sectional study

    Received: 08 Feb 2024; Accepted: 13 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yamaguchi, Nagamine, Matsuda and Murofushi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shinji Yamaguchi, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.