Citation

Sueki H. Psychol. Health Med. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Human Sciences, Wako University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13548506.2020.1758334

PMID

32330066

Abstract

One factor that has been studied as a protective factor for suicide is character strength and there are many studies that examined the relationship between gratitude and suicide. The problem of character strength research on suicide prevention is that the link between various character strengths and suicide has not been comprehensively examined. We explored which character strength is associated with suicidal ideation. The study is a cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire survey. Participants were 2,000 Internet users in Japan aged 20 years or older. The online survey covered suicidal ideation, character strengths and demographic details. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed with the suicidal ideation as the dependent variable and character strengths as the independent variable. A significant regression equation was found (F (22, 1977) = 64.65, P < 0.001), with an R² of 0.42. 'Engagement' (B = -0.38, P < 0.001), 'Love' (B = -0.33, P = 0.001), and 'Risk-taking' (B = 0.40, P < 0.001) were significant predictors of suicidal ideation. The positive trait of being able to actively engage with people and build a loving relationship could be a protective factor for suicide.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide prevention; character strengths; positive psychology; protective factor for suicide; suicidal ideation