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Mediating Effects of Positive Thinking and Social Support on Suicide Resilience

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Suicide has been the second leading cause of death for 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States since 2011. The stress experienced by undergraduate college students has the potential to increase one’s risk for suicide. Resilience theory was used as a theoretical framework to examine the interplay between risk and protective factors. A cross-sectional and correlational design was used to assess the mediating effects of positive thinking and/or social support on suicide resilience in 131 college students 18 to 24 years old who completed an online survey. The study found an indirect effect of self-esteem on suicide resilience through positive thinking and social support indicating that as self-esteem increases, positive thinking and social support also increase, which leads to an increase in resilience. The study also found a direct effect of self-esteem, positive thinking, and social support on suicide resilience. The findings inform the development of tailored interventions to build suicide resilience in college students.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)25-41
Number of pages17
JournalWestern Journal of Nursing Research
Volume41
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2019
Externally publishedYes

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The study was funded by The Social Innovation Award from Marquette University awarded to Denise Matel-Anderson and Dr. Abir K. Bekhet.

Keywords

  • college students
  • positive thinking
  • self-esteem
  • social support
  • suicide resilience

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