A general inductive approach to characterize transdiagnostic experiences of emptiness.

BACKGROUND: Despite the pervasiveness of patient-reported emptiness and the high burden it carries, emptiness is poorly understood. In the current study, we used a general inductive approach to examine experiences with emptiness in a diagnostically diverse sample of treatment-seeking patients with severe and acute psychopathology. As a secondary aim, we also examined whether identified themes differed among patients with a primary diagnosis of borderline personality disorder or major depressive disorder. METHOD: Participants (n = 150) ranged from 18 to 69 years old (M = 33.15, SD = 12.41; 79.3% non-Hispanic White; 57.3% females). All patients completed the borderline personality disorder module of the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Personality Disorders and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Interviewers documented patients' responses to follow-up questions. Patients were included in the study if they endorsed chronic feelings of emptiness and elaborations were documented. RESULTS: We identified 10 themes associated with patient-reported emptiness: (1) purposeless, (2) lack of connection, (3) numbness, (4) self-deprecation, (5) lack of identity, (6) lack of motivation, (7) hopelessness, (8) lack of pleasure, (9) physical sensation, and (10) dissociation. Themes were consistent across diagnostic status, with one exception: patients with borderline personality disorder were more likely to report that emptiness was associated with dissociation relative to patients with major depressive disorder. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that emptiness may reflect a multifaceted and transdiagnostic construct. Identified themes may help to support the assessment of emptiness and can be used to guide individualized treatments.

Fearlessness about death and suicidal ideation: Religious identity matters.

INTRODUCTION: Religion is a salient aspect of patient background in treatment (The psychology of religion and coping: Theory, research, practice; Guilford Press). However, research investigating the role of religion in suicide is lacking and inconsistent (Journal of Religion and Health, 57, 2478-2499). The current study (1) clarifies the association between religious identity and fearlessness about death in a psychiatric sample and (2) tests whether religious identity moderates the association between fearlessness about death and suicidal ideation. METHODS: Participants were 155 patients seeking treatment in a partial hospital program. Religious identity was assessed using the Identities in Treatment Scale (The Behavior Therapist). Fearlessness about death was assessed with two relevant items from the acquired capability with rehearsal for suicide scale (Psychological Assessment, 28, 1452-1464), as in prior studies (Suicide & Le-Threatening Behavior, 50, 1230-1240; Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 12, 100492). RESULTS: Fearlessness about death interacted with religious identity to predict suicidal ideation, b = 0.47, 95% C.I. [0.02, 0.91], p = 0.042. Conditional effects showed that greater fearlessness about death was associated with greater suicidal ideation among non-religious patients, b = -0.56, 95% C.I. [-0.88, -0.24], p = 0.001, but not in religious patients, b = -0.09, 95% C.I. [-0.41, 0.22], p = 0.559. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that fearlessness about death is a risk factor for suicidal ideation, but only among those who do not identify as religious. Results from this study inform theories of suicide and elucidate the influence of religious identity on links among suicide risk factors and suicide-related outcomes.