Longitudinal associations among basic psychological need satisfaction at school, self‐esteem, and suicidal ideation from middle childhood to early adolescence: Disentangling between‑ and within‑person associations

• Published in: Journal of adolescence (London, England.)
• Main Authors: Yang, Chi, Huebner, E. Scott, Tian, Lili
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 22.06.2024
• ISSN: 0140-1971; 1095-9254; 1095-9254
• DOI: 10.1002/jad.12366

Abstract Introduction The current study aimed to examine the longitudinal associations among basic psychological need satisfaction at school (BPNSS), self‐esteem, and suicidal ideation (SI), including whether self‐esteem functioned as a mediator of the relations between BPNSS and SI at the within‐person level after disentangling between‐ and within‐person associations encompassing middle childhood to early adolescence. Methods A total of 650 Chinese students (53.54% boys, M age = 9.95, SD = 0.75 at Time 1) completed measures on four occasions across 1.5 years, using 6‐month intervals. Random intercept cross‐lagged panel models were applied to disaggregate between‐ and within‐person effects, thus providing greater confidence in elucidating the causal relations among study variables. Results The results showed that at the within‐person level: (a) BPNSS negatively predicted SI; (b) BPNSS positively predicted self‐esteem; (c) Self‐esteem negatively predicted SI; and (d) BPNSS indirectly predicted SI via self‐esteem. Conclusion These findings advanced the literature by demonstrating longitudinal associations among BPNSS, self‐esteem, and SI at the within‐person level, and highlighting the significance of distinguishing between‐ and within‐person effects in developing prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing SI over time from middle childhood to early adolescence.