Authors:
Norhayati Ibrahim
1
;
2
;
A’isyah Mohd Safien
1
and
Ching Sin Siau
1
Affiliations:
1
Health Psychology Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysia
;
2
Research Centre for Healthy Aging and Wellness, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Keyword(s):
Psychological Distress, Coping Skills, Suicide, University Students.
Abstract:
Suicide is a leading cause of death among university students worldwide. The reduction of psychological
distress and suicidality is related to the adoption of effective coping strategies. This study sought to explore
the associations between psychological distress, coping style and suicide attitude among university students
in Malaysia. This study was conducted upon 178 students in two universities from public and private
settings. Participants completed four self-report questionnaires, namely the Kessler Psychological Distress
Scale (K10), Brief COPE and Yatt Suicide Attitude Scale (YSAS). Students from the private university
showed significantly higher levels of psychological distress compared to students from the public university,
but their suicide attitude did not differ significantly. There is a significant relationship between psychological distress and suicide attitude participant (r= .263, p < .001) and the most commonly employed coping strategies
among them were the Religio
n and Positive Reframing domains. Behavioral Disengagement and Self-Blame predicted higher psychological distress, whereas participant were Substance Use, Planning and Self-Blame
predicted higher suicide attitude. The suicide rate is rising and young adults need to adopt appropriate and effective coping strategies, especially among university students. Both public and private university students should be targeted for regular screening for psychological distress and suicidality as they are a psychologically
vulnerable population.
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