@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 1027-1457    Scientific Journal of Forensic Medicine 2020;26(2):73-78

Background
On the one hand, Suicide as one of the social harms is considered as a social, personal, and family loss and on the other hand, its high cost and incompatibility with the value and cultural standards of society have caused it to be considered as one of the important social health issues [1, 2].
Previous Studies
According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, approximately one million people die each year in the world due to suicide [3]. This statistic has grown by 50 to 60% in the last few decades (the last 50 years). On the other hand, the number of people who attempt suicide is about 20 times higher than the above statistics [4], so that based on statistics and research abroad, it is the third major cause of death in the age group of 15-24 years [5] and the second major cause of death among students [6, 7]. In Iran, the available evidence indicates that the suicide rate has been increasing, especially among young people, in recent years. It should be noted that the studental period is an important transition period that a person experiences academic pressures, career choices, decision-making about life goals and loneliness, and distance from family and social support network [3]. Therefore, comprehensive knowledge of this phenomenon among young people and students in order to adopt preventive approaches seems necessary. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of training the resilience components in changing people's attitudes toward suicide; a study has conducted by Zhang et al. [8] entitled Psychological stress and suicide of young people in China". The statistical population of this study was young men and women from 16 rural areas in China in the age group of 15-34 years. In this research, 392 cases of suicide and 416 people in the control group were selected as the sample. For data collection, two informants of each suicide, as well as the control group were interviewed. In this study, a combination of the role of psychological and social factors in predicting suicide, which is related to Chinese culture, was identified, and the strain theory of suicide was tested using Chinese data [9, 10]. In a study by Walsh et al. [11] entitled "pressure, excitement, and suicide among American youth" experimentally tested the usefulness of Agnew's general pressure theory in explaining suicidal behaviors among American youth in 2007. Data were collected from 721 young people in Central America and Canada. In this study, the effects of symptoms of depression and anger on suicide were assessed. The findings of this study showed that various stresses and stressful stimuli are associated with suicidal tendencies. These stressful pressures and stimuli included parental strictness, neglect, negative school attitudes, and discrimination. These findings also show that symptoms of depression and anger as mediating effects are important predictors of suicide [4, 12, 13]. The researchers in a study among Hong Kong youth found that the idea of suicide was positively related to adolescent frustration, and frustration was the most important predictor of suicide in adolescents [14]. Also, according to researches, young people, single people, men, people with a history of mental illness and suicidal ideation, are more prone to suicide and should be given more attention in preventive programs [15].
Aim(s)
The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of training of resilience and positive thinking skills in reducing suicidal tendencies among students.
Research type
This research is a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and a post-test design with a control group.
Research society, place and time
This study was carried among all male students studying at Ahvaz Farhangian University in 2018 (n=480).
Sampling method and number
Sampling was conducted in two stages; in the first stage, 100 students were selected among 480 students of Ahvaz Farhangian University. In the second stage, after performing the suicidal tendencies test, 50 people were selected whose scores were higher than the average scores. Then, after a psychologist's examination, 33 of these individuals were examined as a sample. Therefore, sampling in the second stage was purposeful. Then, the randomly selected samples were divided into the first experimental group (n=11), the second experimental group (n=11), and the control group (n=11).
Used devices&materials
After obtaining the necessary permits for conducting research and dividing the subjects into three groups (two experimental groups and one control group), the pre-test stage was performed for all groups. Then, training intervention was performed for the experimental groups. The educational intervention for the first experimental group included the training of resilience skills, and the second experimental group included training of positive thinking skills. The educational intervention was held in the afternoon at the university for each group during 9 one-hour sessions, two sessions per week (Table 1) [16, 17]. The Beck scale for suicidal ideation (BSSI) was used to measure suicidal ideation. This scale was used by Beck in 1979 to measure a person's suicidal ideation. The implementation of this method is through semi-structured interviews and provides a numerical estimate of the intensity of suicidal thoughts and desires. This scale consists of 19 articles that are graded by a three-point scale from zero (minimum intensity) to 2 (maximum intensity). The first five articles screen the subject's desire to live or die. Individuals who wish to report active or passive suicide are classified in articles 6 to 12. These materials refer to the duration and frequency of suicidal ideation, the degree of desire to die, and the feeling of control over suicidal ideation. Articles 12 to 16 related to suicide plans, means, opportunities, and methods of suicide, the strength of the desire to live and the desire to die, internal and external deterrents, and the background of previous suicidal attempts [18]. The Beck scale for suicidal ideation consists of three factors: death tendency (5 questions), preparing for suicide (7 questions), the actual suicidal tendency (4 questions), and 3 questions about suicide deterrents [3]. The validity and reliability of this questionnaire have been confirmed in various researches. For example, Beck reported the reliability coefficient and reliability of the questionnaire, 0.89 and 0.83, respectively. In Iran, the validity and reliability of the questionnaire have been reviewed and confirmed [18, 19]. In this study, Cronbach's alpha coefficient is 0.96. The control group did not receive any training. At the end of the training sessions, the post-test was performed again for all groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS 21 statistical software. To compare the experimental and control groups (evaluation of the effect of resilience training and positive thinking skills), in terms of reducing suicidal death tendencies, a multivariate analysis of covariance (Ankova) was performed based on the post-test scores and after controlling the effect of pre-tests. Then, a one-way analysis of variance in Ankova text was performed on the post-test scores of the dependent variables. A post hoc test was used to compare the two groups.
Findings by Text
By controlling the effect of the pre-test, a significant difference was observed between the post-test scores of the studied groups in at least one of the dependent variables (p<0.0001). There was a significant difference between the three groups in terms of suicidal ideation variables (F=35.36) and subscales of death tendency (F=34.21), preparing for suicide (F=29.28), and tendency to actual suicide (F=39.670). There was a significant difference between the mean scores of the suicidal ideation test and its subscales in both experimental groups and the control group (p<0.001). Also, there was a significant difference between the two groups of resilience skills and positive thinking skills in terms of mean scores of post-test suicidal ideation (p=0.01) and subscales of death tendency (p=0.001) and subscale of preparing for suicide (p=0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the subscale of the tendency to actual suicide (p=0.06).
Main comparison to the similar studies
The results of this study showed that resilience training had a greater effect than the positive thinking method on reducing the suicidal ideation of male students of Ahvaz Farhangian University. Also, the results of this study showed that each of the training methods (resilience and positive thinking method), in comparison with the control group, had a significant effect on reducing the tendency to suicide in male students of Ahvaz Farhangian University. These results are in accordance with the findings of previous studies, including Hosseini and Fariborzi [9], Rahnajat et al. [5], and Rezaei et al. [6].
Suggestions
None declared.
Limitations
None declared.
Conclusions
Resilience training is more effective than positive thinking training in reducing students' suicidal ideation.
Acknowledgments
We thank all the students who participated in this study.
Conflict of interest
There is no conflict of interest between the authors.
Ethical Permissions
In this study, all ethical issues were observed, including the confidentiality of individuals' identities, and the consent letter was obtained from the participants.
Funding Sources
This study was not sponsored.

TABLES and CHARTS

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