Neural indices of cognitive reappraisal impact the association between childhood trauma and suicide risk in adulthood

Abstract

Background

Childhood trauma exposure is a risk factor for suicide. However, not all trauma exposed individuals experience suicidal urges and core factors moderate this risk pathway. Individual differences in volitional emotion regulation capacity may be one key factor that shapes the association between childhood trauma and suicide; however, few studies have comprehensively investigated these associations using both subjective and objective indicators of emotion regulation. We therefore utilized a multimodal design with 80 adults reporting active suicidal urges.

Methods

Participants completed self-report forms capturing suicidogenic cognitions and severity of suicidal ideation. Volitional cognitive reappraisal was measured using self-report and prefrontal cortex activation (PFC; i.e., ventrolateral and dorsolateral) during instructed reappraisal with functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

Hierarchal linear regression analyses revealed evidence of childhood trauma by PFC activation interactions on suicide risk. At low levels of vlPFC activation, but not high levels, greater childhood trauma was associated with greater suicidal ideation severity and suicide cognitions. Similarly, at low levels of dlPFC activation, but not high levels, greater childhood trauma was associated with suicide cognitions.

Conclusion

Hypoactivation of regulatory PFC regions during volitional emotion regulation may contribute to increased suicide risk amongst individuals with a history of childhood trauma.