Cognitive and Psychological Characteristics in Young Adults With Major Depressive Disorder and Suicide Attempts

Objective This study aims to identify the cognitive and psychological characteristics associated with suicide attempts in young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods The study involved 49 young adults aged 19-29 years diagnosed with MDD (28 attempters and 21 non-attempters) who visited psychological tests were retrospectively conducted. Additionally, data were collected from a healthy control (HC) group of 49 individuals, matched for age and gender, who were screened from the community. The Korean Beck Depression Inventory-2, Korean Reasons for Living Inventory, Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (K-WAIS-IV), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) were used to assess psychological factors. Kruskal-Wallis was conducted to compare the mean differences among the three groups in each test. Results In the K-WAIS-IV, individuals with attempters and non-attempters exhibited significantly lower performance in the Full-Scale Intelligence, Perceptual Reasoning Index, and Processing Speed Index compared to the HCs. The MMPI-2 revealed significant differences between the suicide attempt and non-suicide attempt groups in scales Hypomanic Activation (RC9), Anger (ANG), Antisocial Practices (ASP), Social Responsibility (Re), MacAndrew’s Alcoholism-Revised, Addiction, and Disconstraint (DISC). Conclusion Young adults with MDD who attempted suicide are characterized by heightened externalized psychological issues such as anger, impulsivity, and lack of control. This study provides clinical implications for reducing suicide risk and improving mental health among young adults with MDD.