Feelings of Connectedness Across Aborted and Actual Suicide Attempters – Psychology Department Research Poster Session

Faculty Sponsor: Alexis May

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Ellie Flynn

Ellie Flynn is a junior from Northfield, Massachusetts. She is a psychology and dance double major. Ellie also works in the Blue Lab with Dr. Anna Shusterman conducting cognitive development research. After graduation she plans to attend graduate school for Forensic Psychology.

Rae Sustana

Rae Sustana is a junior from Barcelona, Spain. She is a psychology major and African American studies minor. After graduation she plans to spend a few years doing post-bacc research before applying for a clinical psychology PhD.

Wiktoria Ostrowska

Wiktoria Ostrowska is a junior from NYC. She is a psychology and neuroscience double major and data analysis minor. After graduation she plans on doing work involving either social work or harm reduction.

Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated that connectedness plays an important role in suicide risk, and suicidal thoughts and behavior. Connectedness has been shown to be protective factor for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in previous research. While there have been attempts to examine the relationship and differences between aborted and actual attempts, research has been limited in distinguishing between aborted and actual suicide attempts in relation to connectedness. The present study explores whether individuals with different types of suicide attempts report different levels of connectedness, according to the Universal Connectedness Scale (UCS). The assessment of the UCS sum across groups with aborted attempts, actual attempts, and both had an insignificant result. Exploratory thematic analysis categorized self reported descriptions of aborted and actual suicide attempts, coding for mentions of connectedness and disconnectedness. This exploratory analysis revealed that participants who recounted actual suicide attempts did not mention connectedness at all, whereas over 50% of aborted attempt descriptions discussed connectedness. These results suggest implications for the role of perceived connectedness as a protective factor within both groups. Future research should explore connectedness and disconnectedness in more depth, such as the difference between interpersonal and spiritual connectedness in relation to suicide. Additionally, more research is needed regarding what other factors play a role in determining whether an attempt is ultimately aborted.

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