- Self-esteem and suicidal ideation are longitudinally associated; self-esteem consistently predicts subsequent reductions in suicidal ideation while reverse effects are limited.
- Both mother and father communication associated with later self-esteem and suicidal ideation, but within-person analyses show only maternal communication reduces suicidal ideation.
- Findings highlight positive parent-adolescent communication and self-esteem as modifiable targets for adolescent suicide prevention, emphasising maternal communication’s distinct role.
Front Psychiatry. 2026 Aug 6;17:1909330. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1909330. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have linked parent-adolescent communication and self-esteem to adolescent suicidal ideation; however, less is known about how these relationships unfold over time, whether maternal and paternal communication play different roles, and whether these associations reflect stable between-person differences or within-person changes.
METHOD: Cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) and random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) were used to examine the longitudinal relationships among parent-adolescent communication, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation. A four-wave longitudinal survey with six-month intervals was conducted among 1,036 Chinese adolescents (47.4% female; M age = 13.39 ± 0.54 years). Parent-adolescent communication, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation were assessed using validated self-report measures.
RESULTS: The CLPM results indicated bidirectional associations between self-esteem and suicidal ideation and showed that both father-adolescent and mother-adolescent communication were associated with subsequent self-esteem and suicidal ideation across time. Self-esteem also accounted for part of the longitudinal associations between parent-adolescent communication and suicidal ideation. The RI-CLPM results further showed that, at the within-person level, only mother-adolescent communication predicted subsequent decreases in suicidal ideation, whereas father-adolescent communication showed no significant effects. Self-esteem consistently predicted subsequent suicidal ideation across time, whereas evidence supporting reverse effects was relatively limited.
CONCLUSION: This study advances understanding of the dynamic relationships among parent-adolescent communication, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation. The findings suggest that maternal and paternal communication may play different roles in adolescent mental health and highlight positive parent-adolescent communication and self-esteem as potential targets for adolescent suicide prevention.
PMID:42626309 | PMC:PMC13492233 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1909330
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