Investigating the predictive effects of depression and self-esteem on suicide ideation among Malaysia east coast undergraduate students

Abstract

Today, suicide is a significant, urgent and serious issue in public health. Studies on suicide ideation in Malaysian young adults were rarely conducted for the public due to cultural and religious factors. Numerous studies on depression and suicide among young people in Malaysia have often been conducted in developed and high-population densities such as Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, and Sarawak. In contrast, states on the East Coast of Malaysia recorded fewer studies on suicide and depression by researchers. Thus, this study investigates the relationships and predictive effects of depression and self-esteem on suicide ideation among undergraduate students. Data were gathered from a sample of 439 (18.5% male; 81.5% female) undergraduate students aged 19-26 with an average age of 22 (SD=1.33) who completed measures on depression, self-esteem, suicide ideation and socio-demographic profiles. In addition to descriptive statistics, quantitative data employed correlation and regression analysis using SPSS software. The results found a significant relationship between depression, self-esteem, and suicide ideation. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed that depression and self-esteem were predictive factors of suicide ideation among students. This study contributes to the corpus of literature on the predictor factors for suicide ideation in the context of Malaysian students. Furthermore, the current study's findings offer a better understanding of how relevant parties should be aware of the importance of mental health promotion and help-seeking behaviour, especially in the educational setting.