Prediction of Suicidal Thoughts Based on Emotional Failure and Attachment Styles among University Students

Abstract

Background & objectives:Suicidal thoughts have been found to be associated with a wide variety of factors. A key factor is a history of childhood and family adversity. Previous studies have shown that troubled romantic relationships are associated with higher risk factors for mental health. Also, evidence suggests that those who have a secure attachment styles in childhood have fewer symptoms of psychopathology and higher psychosocial functioning throughout the lifespan (especially romantic relationship) compared to individuals with an insecure attachment style. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of emotional failure and attachment styles in predicting suicidal thoughts among university students of Azad university of Ardabil. Methods: In this study, descriptive and correlational design was defined as a research method. The statistical population of this study was all university students of the Ardabil Azad University, who studied in the academic year of 2018 (N=4231). The sample consisted of 80 people who were selected by purposive sampling. Beck's suicidal thoughts questionnaire, Simpson's attachment style questionnaire and Ross's love hit questionnaire were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression analysis. Results: The results of the research showed that emotional failure (r=0.35) and unsafe attachment style (r=0.23) had a positive correlation with suicidal thoughts, and secure attachment style (-0.40) had a significant negative correlation with suicidal thoughts (p<0.01). The results of regression analysis showed that 12 percent of the variance of suicidal thoughts can be predicted by emotional failure and 25 percent by attachment styles. Secure attachment style (β=3.35), emotional failure (β=3.35) and insecure attachment style (β=3.3) were the most effective factors in the prediction of suicidal thoughts, respectively. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study emphasized that attachment styles (secure and unsafe) and severity of emotional failure are good predictors of suicidal thoughts among university students.

Suicide attempts, suicide and their association with socio-demographic variables in Iran: A retrospective, registry-based, cohort study (2016–2021)

“…Our findings showed a higher prevalence of suicide attempts among adolescents and young people in Iran, in agreement with previous literature [1,8,11,12,[26][27][28]. In this study, two-thirds of suicide attempts failed.…”

“…Our findings agreed with global reports as well as the findings by Salari Lak in West Azerbaijan Province [30], Iran, and Hosseini et al [11], Behirooz and Haghayegh [4], Gholami Zarini et al [21], Ghodrati and Taklavi [1], Bertolote and Fleischmann [9], Kim et al [25], and Gordon et al [31] in other highrisk regions. In terms of literacy and education level, patients with less education levels had greater incidence rates of suicide attempts, which corroborated with earlier findings in Iranian research, such as the Miveban survey [32].…”

“…Over the years, researchers have identified suicide as one of the major psychiatric crises [1] and one of the most frequently reported challenges in the field of health care [2,3]. Suicide has been described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a conscious and intentional act in which a person terminates his or her own life [3,4].…”