Gender differences and psychological factors associated with suicidal ideation among youth in Malaysia

Abstract

Suicide is a global phenomenon that has been showing an upward trend in recent years. It is the second leading cause of death among youth. Studies on suicidal ideation warrant greater attention, as it leads to suicide attempts and other health risk behaviors. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare gender differences in suicidal ideation and determine the predictors of suicidal ideation among youth. This cross-sectional study was carried out among 232 youths aged between 15 and 25 years from selected urban areas in Malaysia. The results showed that suicidal ideation was higher among male participants compared with female participants. Age was the predictor of suicidal ideation for males, while depression and loss of motivation, as components of hopelessness, were the predictors of suicidal ideation among females. Hence, it is important that professionals conduct early identification tests for suicidality among young people. This will facilitate the early detection of depression and hopelessness, which is important, in order to prevent suicidal behaviors or other problems before these occur.

Keywords:

• suicidal ideation
• youth
• depression
• hopelessness
• gender

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the participants who were involved in this study. This study was funded by grant code number: NN-2014-002 from the Prime Minister’s Department, Malaysia.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.