Beyond Biomedical Paradigms: Spiritual Practices, Emotion Regulation, and Traditional Healing as Integrative Pathways in Suicidal Attitude- A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Existing literature documents the protective role of spiritual practices, emotion regulation, and traditional healing in mental health outcomes; however, qualitative systematic reviews examining their collective influence on suicidal attitudes remain conspicuously absent. Purpose of Review: To systematically review the efficacy of spiritual practices, emotion regulation strategies, and traditional healing systems in reducing suicidal attitudes, and to identify the cognitive, affective, and cultural factors that mediate or moderate this relationship. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across five electronic databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Taylor & Francis, and Google Scholar) up to December 2025 for empirical studies examining spiritual practices, emotion regulation, and traditional healing in relation to suicidal attitudes among adolescents and adults. Methodological quality of included studies was appraised using the MQCOM checklist and the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2.0 tool. Results: The present systematic review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines; of 1,847 screened records, 376 were eligible for full-text review, and 32 studies were finally included. Included studies employed cross-sectional, longitudinal, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs across diverse cultural contexts. Findings consistently demonstrate that adaptive emotion regulation strategies, intrinsic spirituality, meaning-making, and engagement with traditional healing practices are significantly associated with reduced suicidal attitudes, enhanced resilience, and greater psychological well-being. Conclusion Spiritual practices, adaptive emotion regulation, and culturally congruent traditional healing systems collectively reduce suicidal attitudes and strengthen protective psychological processes. Integrative, culturally responsive suicide prevention frameworks that incorporate these dimensions are strongly warranted, particularly for non-Western and collectivistic populations.