Volume 27, Issue 140, October 2023

Predicting suicidal ideation based on meaning in life: Investigating the mediating roles of interpersonal needs and depression in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Mehdi Bazi Alahri¹, Amir Sam Kianimoghadam^2♦, Maryam Khesali³, Nassim Zekibakhsh Mohammadi⁴, Abbas Masjedi-Arani⁵

¹Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
²Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
³Medical Doctor, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁴Ph.D. Student, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
⁵Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

^♦Corresponding author
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

ABSTRACT

Introduction: MS patients are very likely to commit suicide due to their medical condition. For this reason, the present study was performed to predict suicide commitment based on meaning in life and with the mediating roles of depression and interpersonal needs in patients with MS. Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study including all MS patients in Tehran. Subjects (n=206) were selected using the convenience sampling method. They completed questionnaires about meaning in life, Beck's depression, Beck's suicidal ideation, and interpersonal needs. Data were analyzed using SPSS-25 and AMOS software. The path analysis method was used to analyze the data. Results: Results of the path analysis showed that, in patients with MS, meaning in life can predict suicide commitment through the help of mediators, including depression and interpersonal needs (thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness) death in MS patients. Fit indices showed that the model has been confirmed. Conclusion: Meaning in life, depression, and interpersonal needs play pivotal roles in predicting suicidal behavior in patients with MS; for this reason, these components must be addressed as therapeutic goals.

Keywords: Suicide, Multiple sclerosis, Thwarted belongingness, Perceived burdensomeness, Depression

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e369ms3233

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v27i140.e369ms3233

Published: 23 October 2023