The Mediating Role of Self-conscious Emotions, Disconnection and Rejection in the Relationship between Maternal Separation and Suicidal Ideation

Introduction: Suicide is one of the major health problems and challenges in the world, which has various social, psychological, economic, and cultural dimensions. This study aims to determine the mediating role of self-conscious emotions and the domain of disconnection and rejection schemas in the relationship between maternal psychological separation and suicidal ideation. Method: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 573 students from Tehran who were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. In this study, the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ), Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA-3), Psychological Separation Inventory (PSI), and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) were used. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with SPSS 21 and AMOS 24 software. Results: The results showed a significant and indirect effect of maternal separation variable on suicidal ideation (β = 0. 145, p<0.05), a significant and indirect effect of disconnection schema on suicidal ideation (β = 0.040, p<0.05), and the indirect and significant effect of maternal separation variable on the self-conscious emotions variable (β = 0.104, p<0.05). The results also revealed that the path coefficient of separation from the mother to suicidal ideation (0.01) and self-conscious emotions (-0.01) were not significant. Conclusion: The results of the fitted model data analysis showed that psychological separation from the mother, mediated by the domain of disconnection and rejection schemas, predicts suicidal ideation. Clinical interventions are recommended to be conducted for identifying and targeting schemas, particularly the domain of disconnection and rejection ones, in order to prevent suicidal ideation and thoughts or repair and control them.