Reexamining the latent structure of suicidal thoughts using taxometric analysis: Implications for testing ideation to action theoretical models of suicidal thoughts and behavior

A central question in psychological science concerns whether psychological constructs are best conceptualized as dimensional or consist of one or more categories. The present study uses contemporary taxometric procedures to examine the latent structure of suicidal thoughts, with implications for how suicidal thoughts and behavior (STB) ought to be conceptualized, assessed, measured, and managed. Three nonredundant taxometric procedures (MAMBAC, MAXEIG, and L-Mode) were performed on various sets of indicators, and analyses were replicated across two large samples that included large numbers of individuals reporting current and recent STB. Results provide further evidence that the latent structure of suicidal thoughts is best understood as dimensional. However, inconsistent findings across studies and the relatively small number of taxometric studies conducted to date both suggest that it is premature to draw clear or definitive conclusions about the latent structure of STB being dimensional or categorical based on taxometric evidence. We report a meta-analysis of the current literature which evidences this ambiguity. We provide a detailed, critical discussion of the STB taxometric literature and outline key directions for future taxometric studies in this area, particularly how taxometric analysis relates to testing "ideation to action" theoretical models, which hypothesize that the development of suicidal ideation and the progression from suicide desire to attempting suicide are distinct processes with distinct explanations/mechanisms. It remains entirely possible that qualitatively distinct types of STB (e.g., representing ideation vs. action) or populations have different latent structures indicating different levels of risk. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).