Associations of Emotion Regulation Difficulties, Psychological Well-Being, and Life Satisfaction with Suicidal...

Suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour among university students are associated with multiple psychological factors, yet evidence from Indonesia remains limited, particularly studies examining emotion regulation difficulties, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction simultaneously. This study aimed to examine the associations of emotion regulation difficulties, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction with suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour among university students in Indonesia.

This cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2024 among 420 university students from three state universities in Central Java and East Java, Indonesia. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour were assessed using the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. Emotion regulation difficulties, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction were measured using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-16, Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, respectively. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed using psychological total scores as continuous variables. The adjusted models controlled for age, sex, education level, GPA score, GPA satisfaction, parental socioeconomic status, place of residence, perceived family harmony, past physical medical history, and past mental health problem history.

Among the participants, 180 students (42.9%) were identified as having suicidal ideation, and 87 students (20.7%) were identified as being at risk of suicidal behaviour. In the adjusted continuous-variable models, higher emotion regulation difficulty scores were associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation (AOR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.04-1.10) and suicidal behaviour (AOR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.08). Higher life satisfaction scores were associated with lower odds of suicidal ideation (AOR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88-0.98) and suicidal behaviour (AOR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87-1.00). Higher psychological well-being scores were associated with lower odds of suicidal behaviour (AOR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.99), but were not significantly associated with suicidal ideation after adjustment.

Greater emotion regulation difficulties and lower life satisfaction were associated with both suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour, whereas lower psychological well-being was associated only with suicidal behaviour after adjustment. These findings suggest the importance of assessing multiple psychological factors in campus-based suicide prevention strategies and support the integration of mental health promotion into higher education policies in Indonesia.