Childhood trauma and suicidal ideation among Chinese female prisoners: The mediating roles of negative emotions and social support

Suicide is a major public health concern, especially in prisoners. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of current suicidal ideation in a sample of Chinese female prisoners and examine the mediating role of negative emotions and social support in the link between childhood trauma and suicidal ideation. A cross-sectional study was conducted in five main jails of the district of Zhejiang province in China and a total of 626 female prisoners were surveyed by using cluster sampling. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were applied. The estimated prevalence of current suicide ideation among Chinese female prisoners was 33.4%. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that social support and negative emotions acted as chain mediators between childhood trauma and current suicidal ideation. Results emphasize the importance of stress-diathesis theory of suicidality in understanding the possible mechanisms underlying the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidal ideation among female prisoners. • Suicide ideation is much common among Chinese female prisoners. • Childhood trauma is positively associated to suicidal ideation. • This association is mediated by negative emotions and social support.