Dissertations - 2021

YOUTH IN THE FACE OF THE PHENOMENON OF SUICIDE AND THE UNBEARABLE PAIN: A STUDY WITH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Victor Lippelt Matheus

Advisor: Prof. Dr. Liliana L. Wahba
Keywords: Suicide. Hopelessness. Positive and negative affects. Analytical Psychology

Abstract: The present research aimed to identify the presence of suicidal ideation and behavior in university students between 18 and 29 years old, and to understand what these young people's impressions are about the phenomenon of suicide. Correlations between suicidal ideation, the degree of hopelessness and positive and negative affects were investigated. The method used was a mixed, explanatory and sequential proposal, as formulated by Creswell (2010). 71 university students participated in the study responding, in the quantitative stage, to the instruments: Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSI), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. For the qualitative stage, reflective interviews were conducted with three participants who agreed to participate in the interview after responding to the scales. The results showed that 32.4% of the participants had the presence of suicidal ideation, 25.4% had at least one suicide attempt and 24% of responses indicated a moderate or severe degree of hopelessness. A significant, moderate and positive correlation (ρ=0.605 and p=0.001) was identified between suicidal ideation and hopelessness. The qualitative stage revealed meanings of suicidal ideation and behavior for young people, including the perception of being alone, difficulties in seeking help, suicide as a way out of a crisis and affections such as anguish, hopelessness, anxiety, despair, guilt and regret. It was concluded that the results set off an alarm signal regarding the psychological health of the students, highlighting the significant number of young people with suicidal ideation or behavior within the university and the severity of this phenomenon, enhanced by hopelessness, negative affects and the subjective perception of not finding support for the adversities experienced.