# A network and mediation analysis on the associations between family environment and suicidal ideation in adolescents in a psychiatric clinical setting

## TL;DR

This study explores how family factors like relationship quality and anxiety influence suicidal thoughts in adolescents with mental health issues.

## Contribution

The study uses network and mediation analysis to reveal how family environmental factors interact with mental health outcomes in adolescents.

## Key findings

- Positive family relationship quality significantly reduces suicidal ideation in adolescents.
- Anxiety mediates 53.34% of the relationship between family relationship quality and suicidal ideation.
- Parental marital status directly relates to suicidal ideation, while parental education level does not.

## Abstract

Family environmental factors are known to contribute to adolescent suicidal ideation (SI), but how these factors interact and relate to SI needs further investigation.

To examine how family factors interact with each other and are associated with adolescent SI in a psychiatric clinical setting, using network analysis with regularization methods.

Utilizing a quantitative research design, this study analyzed data from 293 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years seeking care in a psychiatric hospital. Data collection involved standardized interviews and self-report measures to assess SI, anxiety, depression, and various family environmental factors. Network analysis with regularization methods, including LASSO regression, was employed to elucidate the relationships among these variables.

Over 40% of adolescents reported SI, with positive relationship quality(RQ) significantly reducing SI. Network analysis indicated that family economic status did not directly relate to SI but through RQ. Additionally, anxiety was found to mediate the relationship between RQ and SI significantly, with a mediation effect of 53.34%. Parental marital status directly related to SI, whereas parental education level, particularly mothers’, was not directly associated with SI or other mental health outcomes.

This study reveals the complex interplay between family environmental factors and psychiatric symptoms in adolescents, highlighting family relationship quality as a critical risk mechanism. These findings underscore the importance of family-centered interventions and public mental health policies to reduce suicidal ideation in adolescents.