Expansion and Reevaluation of the Implicit Association Test in Suicide Ideators and Suicide Attempters

Detailed Summary

A new approach to investigate suicidal processes belongs to the broader neurocognitive picture and are so-called implicit associations. In dual process models of information processing a second functioning mode, the automatic processing mode, complements the conscious processing. Suicidal persons tend to have a stronger implicit association with "death" than non-suicidal persons. In this study, implicit associations between different unconscious cognitive constructs are compared among suicidal and non-suicidal patients. Therefore, an adapted version of the computer-based reaction time task (IAT-S) will be used. Four different versions of IATs are tested in this study. In the first version the implicit association between "self / others" and "death / life" is assessed (1). The second and third version measures the emotional evaluation of "death" (2) and "life" (3). In addition, in the fourth version the implicit association between death / life and internal / external locus of control is assessed (4). The implicit associations of these four IAT-S versions are compared between three groups: patients with suicidal behavior, patients with suicidal ideation, and a clinical group without previous suicide attempts and without suicidal ideation. The following hypotheses are made: in all four versions of the IAT-S, patients with previous suicidal behavior will have stronger implicit associations: between "self" and "death" as well as "death" and "internal locus of control" compared to all other groups. With a more "positive" evaluation of "death" and a more "negative" evaluation of "life" than all other participants.

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