The Association Between Suicidal Behavior, Attentional Control, and Frontal Asymmetry

It can be difficult to identify those at risk of suicide because suicidal thoughts are often internalized and not shared with others. Yet to prevent suicide attempts it is crucial to identify suicidal thoughts and actions at an early stage. Past studies have suggested that deficits in attentional control are associated with suicide, with the argument that individuals are unable to inhibit negative thoughts and direct resources away from negative information. The current study aimed to investigate the association of suicidal behavior with neurological and behavioral markers, measuring attentional bias and inhibition in two Stroop tasks. Fifty-four participants responded to the color of color words in a standard Stroop task and the color of positive, negative, and neutral words in an emotional Stroop task. Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded from frontal areas during each task and at resting. Participants were separated into a low-risk and high-risk group according to their self-reported suicidal behavior. Participants in the high-risk group showed slower response times in the color Stroop and reduced accuracy to incongruent trials, but faster response times in the emotional Stroop task. Response times to the word "suicide" were significantly slower for the high-risk group. This indicates an attentional bias toward specific negative stimuli and difficulties inhibiting information for those with high levels of suicidal behavior. In the emotional Stroop task the high-risk group showed reduced activity in leftward frontal areas, suggesting limitations in the ability to regulate emotional processing via the left frontal regions. The findings support the argument that deficits in attentional control are related to suicidal behavior. The research also suggests that under certain conditions frontal asymmetry may be associated with suicidal behavior

Association (psychology · Attentional bias · Attentional control · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Poison control · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Stroop effect · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Clinical Psychology · Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control · Medicine · Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

• The Role of Prefrontal Cortical Surface Area and Volume in Preclinical Suicidal Ideation in a Non-Clinical Sample

  Open Access•Sahil Bajaj, Adam C Raikes et al.•Frontiers in Psychiatry•2019

  Incluir item

• Attentional Bias Deficits in Adolescent Suicide Attempters During an Emotional Stroop Task

  Open Access•Paniz Tavakoli, Emily Jerome et al.•Frontiers in Psychiatry•2021

  Incluir item

• VR Cognitive-based Intervention for Enhancing Cognitive Functions and Well-being in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

  Open Access•Pattrawadee Makmee, Peera Wongupparaj•Psychosocial Intervention•2025

  Incluir item

• Factors influencing suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents with first-episode depressive disorder

  Open Access•Yang Zhang, Xingbo Suo et al.•BMC Psychology•2026

  Incluir item

• Cognition and Depression

  Ian H Gotlib, Jutta Joormann•Annual Review of Clinical…•2010

  Incluir item

• The Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R)

  Open Access•Augustine Osman, Courtney L Bagge et al.•Assessment•2001

  Incluir item

• Working Memory

  Open Access•Alan Baddeley•Science•1992

  Incluir item

• The Nature and Organization of Individual Differences in Executive Functions

  Open Access•Akira Miyake, Naomi P Friedman•Current Directions in Psychological…•2012

  Incluir item

• Neural mechanisms of the cognitive model of depression

  Open Access•Seth G Disner, Christopher Beevers et al.•Nature Reviews Neuroscience•2011

  Incluir item

• Differentiating Suicide Attempters from Suicide Ideators

  Open Access•E David Klonsky, Alexis May et al.•Suicide and Life-Threatening…•2014

  Incluir item

• Frontal EEG asymmetry as a moderator and mediator of emotion

  Open Access•James A Coan, John J B Allen•Biological Psychology•2004

  Incluir item

• Attentional Biases for Negative Interpersonal Stimuli in Clinical Depression.

  Ian H Gotlib, Elena N Krasnoperova et al.•Journal of Abnormal Psychology•2004

  Incluir item

• An Integrative Theory of Prefrontal Cortex Function

  Earl K Miller, Jonathan D Cohen•Annual Review of Neuroscience•2001

  Incluir item

• Executive Functions

  Adele Diamond•Annual Review of Psychology•2013

  Incluir item

• Eeglab

  Open Access•Albert Delorme, Arnaud Delorme et al.•Journal of Neuroscience Methods•2004

  Incluir item

• Major depressive disorder is associated with broad impairments on neuropsychological measures of executive function

  Hannah R Snyder•Psychological Bulletin•2013

  Incluir item

• Half a century of research on the Stroop effect

  Colin M Macleod•Psychological Bulletin•1991

  Incluir item

• Suicide Attempt History, Self-Esteem, and Suicide Risk in a Sample of 116 Depressed Voluntary Inpatients

  Open Access•Charles James Palmer•Psychological Reports•2004

  Incluir item

• Psychometric properties of the suicidal behaviors questionnaire

  C Randy Cotton, Debra K Peters et al.•Death Studies•1995

  Incluir item

• The Unity and Diversity of Executive Functions and Their Contributions to Complex “Frontal Lobe” Tasks

  Open Access•Akira Miyake, Naomi P Friedman et al.•Cognitive Psychology•2000

  Incluir item

• Individual differences in anterior brain asymmetry and fundamental dimensions of emotion

  Andrew J Tomarken, Richard J Davidson et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•1992

  Incluir item

• The emotional Stroop task and psychopathology

  J Mark G Williams, John M Williams et al.•Psychological Bulletin•1996

  Incluir item

• Lateral brain function, emotion, and conceptualization

  Don M Tucker•Psychological Bulletin•1981

  Incluir item