The role of meaning in life in prevention of suicidal ideations

Abstract

Suicide is a major public health concern worldwide and its rates are alarming very high. In North-eastern part of India, Meghalaya ranks third in suicide death rates and more deaths are of youths, which makes it today’s epidemic. Research has shown that the presence of meaning in life is positively associated with happiness and well-being and the absence of meaning in life is linked with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the role of meaning in life in prevention of suicidal ideations among the college and university going students(N=90) at Shillong, Meghalaya between the age range of 18-24 years. The exploratory research design, and both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Meaning in life questionnaire and suicidal behaviour questionnaire revised were distributed to 90 students by simple random sampling and 20 samples were selected by purposive sampling for the in-depth interview. The results showed that suicidal ideations were common and some of the reasons were: family pressure and difficulty reaching family expectations; mental, physical health illness; and romantic relationship issues.