Psychological Inflexibility, Depression, and Anxiety: A Contextual Framework for Understanding Suicidal Ideation in University Students

Salcedo-Ramon H.A.; Porras D.Y.; Carbajal-León C.; Caycho-Rodríguez T. · Psiquemag (2026) · DOI: 10.18050/psiquemag.v15i1.3501

Resumen

The objective was to determine the influence of psychological inflexibility, anxiety, and depression on suicidal ideation among university students in the Faculty of Health Sciences at a university in Huancayo, thereby validating the contextual model of human suffering. The study employed a non-experimental, explanatory, and cross-sectional methodology with latent variables, using the covariance-based SEM technique for data processing. The non-probabilistic criterion sample consisted of 1,030 students. The instruments applied included the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), the Lima Anxiety Scale (EAL-20), the Depressive Psychopathology Scale (EPD-6), and the Suicidal Ideation Frequency Inventory (IFIS). The findings showed that Model 1, in which no questionnaire items were removed, exhibited an adequate fit; however, Model 2, which conceptualized psychological inflexibility as a unidimensional structure with seven items and correlated measurement errors (items 2 and 5), demonstrated a better and more parsimonious fit (CFI = .939, TLI = .934, RMSEA [90% CI] = .037 [.034-.039], SRMR = .041). The results indicate that psychological inflexibility has a direct influence on anxiety (β = .647) and depression (β = .646), while these correlated variables (r = .473) influence suicidal ideation (βA = .190, βD = .509, r² = .429, f2 = .751). These findings suggest that psychological inflexibility acts as a factor that increases human suffering (anxiety and depression), which in turn heightens suicidal ideation, highlighting the need for interventions targeting these variables to mitigate suicide risk..

Instituciones: Universidad Científica del Sur; Universidad de San Martín de Porres