Desire for control and the integrated motivational-volitional model of suicidal behavior: Results from a pilot investigation of adults in the United Kingdom

Background: Suicidal behavior remains a pressing problem in the United Kingdom. Continued theory development is a critical step toward designing effective prevention. Aims: The present study tested a novel element to suicide theory, the Desire for Control, for its direct and moderating roles within the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) Model of Suicidal Behavior. Method: An online-administered cross-sectional suicide risk survey study (n = 116) was conducted among adults living in the United Kingdom. Results: Mean suicidal ideation scores were in the non-clinical range. DOC Leadership and Destiny Control were associated with good mental health. DOC Decision Avoidance was associated with poor mental health. DOC Decision Avoidance also acted as a motivational moderator in which the entrapment-suicidal thinking link was worse among those high in decisional avoidance. Conclusion: DOC represents a novel, valuable addition to suicide theory and may inform suicide-specific psychotherapeutic intervention. Additional research is needed to full understand the role of DOC and its factor structures in the IMV.