BIO

I am a second-year student from Jacksonville, FL. I have a passion for psychology and plan to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology following graduation! I would love to eventually work in academia so I can continue to have an impact on society with research. I am currently researching suicide, but my research interests also include the causes and treatment of personality disorders and anxiety disorders.

Investigating the Relationship Between Negative Emotionality and Thwarted Belongingness

Abstract

Negative emotionality is the degree to which individuals experience negative emotions and is associated with psychopathology broadly. Thwarted belongingness is the degree to which an individual feels socially isolated and is specifically associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The present study aims to improve our understanding of the strength of the relation between negative emotionality and thwarted belongingness, as well how this relationship is moderated by variables such as age, depth of religious belief, and political orientation, in order to guide future research on negative emotionality and thwarted belongingness and their potential relations to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. We hypothesized that negative emotionality would be a moderately, positively correlated with thwarted belongingness. Participants consisted of undergraduate students at a large southeastern university and ranged from 18 to 22 years of age. Negative emotionality was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule—Negative Emotionality subscale, and thwarted belongingness was assessed using the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire—Thwarted Belongingness subscale. There was a large, positive association between negative emotionality and thwarted belongingness, r(75) = .51, p < 0.001.

Keywords: thwarted belongingness, negative emotionality, suicide