PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND SUICIDE AMONG ADULTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: THE MODERATING ROLE OF RESILIENCE AND MEDIATING ROLE OF DELIBERATE SELF-HARM

Background and Purpose: In the past year, 6.6% of patients with major depressive disorders attempted suicide. Suicidal ideation and behavior may be protected by resilience. Despite decades of research on suicide risk factors in young people, our understanding of the phenomenon has not improved significantly. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between Psychopathological Distress and Suicide in Adults with Major Depressive Disorder. The current study also examines Moderating Role of Resilience and Mediating role of Deliberate Self-Harm among Adults with Major Depressive Disorder.   Methodology: Correlational research design was used in the present study. Data was taken from (n=300) adults with major depressive disorder through purposive sampling strategy. Attitude toward deliberate self-harm questionnaire, Columbia suicide screener, brief resilience scale, depression anxiety stress scale and beck depression inventory-II were used as an assessment measure.   Findings: The result showed that psychopathological distress (r = .04, p < .005) with suicide, and, resilience significant negative (r = -.11, p < .004) relationship with suicide. However, deliberates self-harm (r = .21, p = .001) showed a significant positive relationship with suicide. Regression findings found that all models were significant. In the first step (ΔR2 = .02, F (1, 298) = .51, p = .000) psychopathological distress was a statistically significant predictor (β = .04, p = .000), In the second model (ΔR2 = -.06, F (2, 297) = 2.23, p < .004) resilience (β = -.11, p = .004) was significant predictor of suicide. In the third model (ΔR2 = -.03, F (3, 296) = 4.95, p < .001) deliberate self-harm (β = .23, p = .001) was significant predictor of suicide.  In addition, mediation analysis revealed that deliberate self-harm was a significant (p = .05) mediator between psychopathological distress and suicide. Moderating findings showed significant interaction effect of psychopathological distress x resilience (B= -1.42, p= .00) and it revealed that resilience play a significant (p = .05) moderating role between psychopathological distress and suicide.   Contributions. The study concludes that higher level of psychopathological distress and deliberate self-harm leads toward higher level of suicide which cause severe level of major depressive disorder. The present study will help to understand to enhance the resilience which reduce deliberate self-harm and suicide act among adults with major depressive disorder.   Keywords: Psychopathological distress, resilience, deliberate self-harm, suicide, adults, major depressive disorder.   Cite as: Qamar, T. (2023). Psychopathological distress and suicide among adults with major depressive disorder: The moderating role of resilience and mediating role of deliberate self-harm. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 8(1), 226-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol8iss1pp226-245