The Relationship Between Hopelessness, Self-Esteem, and Suicidal Ideation Among College Students

Abstract

This quantitative study examined the relationship between hopelessness and self-esteem and suicidal ideation among university students. A total of 112 students were selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using three instruments: the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) together with the Single-Item Self-Esteem Scale (SISE), and the Revised–Suicidal Ideation Scale (R-SIS). Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis with IBM SPSS 27.0 for Windows. The results revealed that hopelessness and self-esteem were significantly associated with suicidal ideation among university students. Specifically, higher levels of hopelessness and lower levels of self-esteem were linked to greater suicidal ideation. These findings highlight the importance of addressing psychological factors such as hopelessness and self-esteem in efforts to understand and prevent suicidal ideation among university students.