| This study employed a structural equations model to examine the links among poor physical health, suicide, depression, psychosocial stress, interpersonal conflict, and panic. The sample consisted of a large, archival database of mental health treatment-seeking adults who completed a behavioral outcome questionnaire prior to beginning treatment. The results supported the extant literature indicating that poor physical health, depression, psychosocial stress, interpersonal conflict, and panic impose increased risk for suicidal ideation, with depression demonstrating the highest risk for increased suicidal ideation conferring the greatest risk overall. The results also supported the hypotheses that depression, psychosocial stress, interpersonal conflict, and panic would mediate the association between poor physical health and suicidal ideation. Although no a priori hypotheses were made regarding relationships among the 15 physical illnesses examined, results indicated that HIV/AIDS had the highest correlation with depression and the lowest correlation with interpersonal conflict. The current findings highlight the importance of considering interpersonal factors as potential mediators in the relationship between poor physical health, mental illness, and suicide. |
