Spiritual well-being and suicidal ideation among college students.
OBJECTIVE
This study explored whether specific dimensions of spiritual well-being (religious well-being and existential well-being) relate to reduced suicidal ideation, and whether associations persisted after controlling for religiosity and psychosocial variables associated with suicide.


METHODS
Participants were 457 college students who completed measures that assessed spiritual well-being, religiosity, hopelessness, depression, social support, and suicidal ideation.


METHODS
The authors used linear regression modeling to assess religious and spiritual correlates of suicidal ideation.


RESULTS
After controlling for demographic variables and psychosocial factors, neither involvement in organized religion nor religious well-being significantly contributed to suicidal ideation. However, even after controlling for significant correlates, existential well-being remained a significant predictor of suicidal ideation.


CONCLUSIONS
This investigation highlighted existential well-being as an important factor associated with lower levels of suicidal ideation among college students. Findings from this study focusing on the association between spiritual well-being and suicidality may prove especially beneficial to suicide prevention efforts.
Taliaferro
Lindsay A
LA
Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8210, USA. ltaliafe@hhp.ufl.edu
Rienzo
Barbara A
BA
Pigg
R Morgan
RM
Miller
M David
MD
Dodd
Virginia J
VJ
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011594:Psychometrics; D012067:Religion; D012944:Social Support; D013140:Spiritualism; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013334:Students; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult