Coping, meaning in life, and suicidal manifestations: examining gender differences

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Suicidal behavior is a significant public health concern among university students.
• Understanding the interplay between life meaning, coping strategies, and suicidal manifestations is crucial for effective interventions.
• Previous research suggests psychological factors influence vulnerability to suicidal behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate life meaning and coping strategies as statistical predictors of suicidal manifestations in undergraduates.
• To examine the moderating role of life meaning (sense of coherence, purpose in life) in the relationship between coping styles and suicidal behavior.
• To explore gender differences in these predictive relationships.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 298 university undergraduates completed validated measures assessing hopelessness, sense of coherence, purpose in life, coping strategies, suicide ideation, prior suicide attempts, and future suicidal behavior likelihood.
• Moderated multiple regression analyses were employed to test the incremental validity of life meaning by coping interactions.
• Analyses were conducted separately for men and women, controlling for hopelessness.

Main Results:

• The interaction of sense of coherence and emotion-oriented coping significantly predicted all suicidal variables for women.
• For men, the sense of coherence and emotion-oriented coping interaction significantly predicted suicide ideation.
• These buffering effects remained significant even after controlling for hopelessness.

Conclusions:

• Life meaning, particularly sense of coherence, acts as a partial buffer against suicidal manifestations, especially when combined with emotion-oriented coping.
• Gender-specific patterns were observed, highlighting the importance of tailored suicide prevention strategies.
• Findings support the integration of meaning-centered and coping-focused interventions in suicide prevention programs for university students.