Thinking Too Much: Rumination as a Catalyst of the Real-Time Associations Between Affective States and Suicidal Ideation

Objective: Affective states and rumination have each been linked to suicidal ideation; however, to our knowledge, no studies have examined their interactive effect in predicting suicidal ideation in the short term. The present study examined the concurrent and short-term prospective relationships between affective states, rumination, and suicidal ideation using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Method:A sample of 237 community-based adults at high risk for suicide (Mage = 27.12 years, 61.6% cisgender women) responded to six EMA prompts each day for 2 weeks that assessed their momentary affective states (depression, anxiety, happiness, hopelessness, agitation, irritability), rumination, and suicidal ideation. Results: Rumination moderated the relationship between concurrent affective states and suicidal ideation, at both the within-person and between-person levels. Specifically, the relations between affective states and suicidal ideation were stronger at higher levels of rumination. These interaction effects were not found when examining short-term prospective associations. Conclusions: Affective states and rumination may each confer risk for suicidal ideation in the short term, and rumination may serve as a catalyst of the link between affective states and suicidal ideation when examined concurrently. Clinical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.