Prediction of Suicidal Ideations Based on Meaning in Life and Early Maladaptive Schemas among University Students

Suicide is one of the social harms and it is essential to identify risk and protective factors in order to prevent and reduce suicide. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive role of meaning in life and early maladaptive schemas in suicidal ideation among university students. This descriptive-analytical study was conducted with participation of 240 university students from different majors in Iran University of Medical Sciences. Participants were selected by using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. To collect data, Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) and the short form of Yang's early maladaptive schemas questionnaire (YSQ-SF) were employed. Data were analyzed in SPSS-23 Software using Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis. The early maladaptive schemas, with a mean (SD) score of 173.77 (51.8), negatively and the meaning in life, with a mean (SD) score of 52.97 (11), positively correlated with suicidal ideations, with a mean (SD) score of 3.43 (5.7), P<0/05. Meaning in life, vulnerability to harm and social isolation/alienation significantly could predict suicidal ideations, P<0.01. Thus, the more meaning in life the less the probability of suicidal ideations. In addition, the probability of suicidal ideations increases with increasing vulnerability to harm and social isolation. The study showed that presence of meaning in life lead to a decrease in suicidal ideations, while early maladaptive schemas lead to an increase in suicidal ideations. Therefore, meaning in life is a protective factor and early maladaptive schemas are a risk factor for suicide ideations among university students.