SOCIAL PROBLEM-SOLVING DEFICITS AND HOPELESSNESS, DEPRESSION, AND SUICIDAL RISK IN COLLEGE-STUDENTS AND PSYCHIATRIC-INPATIENTS

The Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised was used to examine the r elations between problem-solving abilities and hopelessness, depressio n. and suicidal risk in three different samples: undergraduate college stu dents, general psychiatric inpatients, and suicidal psychiatric i npatients. A similar pattern of results was found in both college stud ents and psychiatric patients: a negative problem orientation was most highly correlated with all three criterion variables, followed by eit her a positive problem orientation or an avoidance problem-solving sty le. Rational problem-solving skills emerged as an important predictor variable in the suicidal psychiatric sample. Support was found for a p rediction model oi suicidal risk that includes problem-solving deficit s and hopelessness, with partial support being found for including dep ression in the model as well. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.