Meaning in life as a predictor of depression and suicide ideation among young adults in Kerala, India

Pages: 249-252
Silvi Jose and Julom Angelina (The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines)

Depression is a communal health problem among young adults. The occurrence of suicide is increased among the young adults and adolescents worldwide. Most cases of suicide are caused by untreated depression or undergoing depression. This study examines the positive relationship between depression and suicide ideation among the young adults numbering 160, both genders aged between 19-24. The present study examines the possible predictive factor of meaning in life on depression and suicide ideation. Beck depression Inventory II and Beck Suicide Ideation and Meaning in Life questionnaire were used to measure the variables of depression, suicide ideation and meaning in life. The study showed that young adult with high level of meaning in life experiences comparatively low level of depression and suicide ideation and vice versa. The regression analysis of the data showed that meaning in life, alone contribute the variance of 91% in depression and 89% of variance in suicide ideation of young adults. The result clearly gives that the idea of enhancing meaning in life can reduce depression and suicide ideation among young adults.