Effects of Metacognitions on Positive Ideation and Negative Suicide Ideation

Pages: 360-366
Varsha Pandey and Arun Kumar Jaiswal (Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)

The current study examined how men’s and women’s positive thoughts and negative suicidal thoughts were affected by metacognitions. 300 men and women from Chowk and nearby neighbourhoods of Varanasi city of Uttar Pradesh, India, made up the sample. The participants were individually administered Hindi versions of Metacognitions Questionnaire and Positive and Negative Suicide Inventory. Low and high scorer participants (men & women) were defined as those scoring below and up to the 25th percentile and above the 75th percentile on the facets of metacognitions, respectively. By using a 2 × 2 ANOVA (2 genders × 2 levels of facets of metacognitions), the effects of levels (low & high) of metacognitions on measures of PANSI (positive ideation & negative suicide ideation) were examined. The effects of levels (low & high) of facets of metacognitions on measures of PANSI (positive ideation & negative suicide ideation) were analysed by applying 2 × 2 ANOVA (2 genders × 2 levels of facets of metacognitions). Results revealed significant main effects of gender on positive ideation with respect to positive beliefs, cognitive confidence, uncontrollability and danger, and MCQ-H, and on negative suicide ideation with respect to positive beliefs, SPR and MCQ-H Total, and significant main effects of levels of positive beliefs, uncontrollability and danger, SPR on positive ideation, and levels of positive beliefs, cognitive confidence, uncontrollability and danger, MCQ-H Total facets metacognitions on negative suicide ideation; and significant interaction effects of ‘Gender × levels of positive beliefs on positive ideation, and significant interaction effects of Gender × levels of positive beliefs, SPR and MCQ-H Total on negative suicide ideation. These results indicated that men as compared to women displayed significantly higher positive ideation and lower negative suicide ideation, and high as compared to low levels of facets of metacognitions caused significantly higher negative suicide ideation and lesser positive ideation. Analysis of significant interaction effects indicated that high than low levels of facets of metacognitions significantly enhanced negative suicide ideation and lowered positive ideation in women than in men.