Enhancing self-esteem and self-compassion to mitigate suicide risk: A feasibility and acceptability study among Japanese university students

Suicide is a serious mental health problem among university students. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a novel intervention that targets suicide risk by enhancing self-esteem and self-compassion. Participants were recruited from the healthcare center at a Japanese University....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asian journal of psychiatry 2024-11, Vol.101, p.104207, Article 104207
Main Authors: Dat, Nguyen Tan, Mitsui, Nobuyuki, Asakura, Satoshi, Kako, Yuki, Takanobu, Keisuke, Fujii, Yutaka, Kusumi, Ichiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Psychoeducation
Self-compassion
Self-esteem
Suicidal ideation
University students
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Summary:Suicide is a serious mental health problem among university students. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a novel intervention that targets suicide risk by enhancing self-esteem and self-compassion. Participants were recruited from the healthcare center at a Japanese University. Measurements of suicidal risk, self-compassion, self-esteem, and other psychological variables were collected at baseline, post-intervention, four-week follow-up, eight-week follow-up, and twelve-week follow-up. Participants also provided feedback on the program's acceptability. A total of 17 participants consented to participate in the intervention, 14 completed post-treatment assessment, 10 completed the four-week follow-up assessment, and 8 completed the eight-week and twelve-week follow-up assessment. Following the intervention, the study observed moderate to large improvements in self-esteem, self-compassion, hopelessness, depression, and suicide risk. The participants also reported reliable changes in clinical outcomes and positive perceptions of the program. The psychoeducation program exhibited high acceptability and feasibility and promising early outcomes. Despite the small sample size and lack of a control group, these findings suggest potential benefits of the program. Further studies for examining the efficacy of the program are highly warranted. •We developed and tested an intervention to enhance self-esteem and self-compassion in university students at suicide risk.•The intervention displayed good acceptability and feasibility in university students with suicidal ideation.•The program led to positive changes in mental health outcomes, especially self-compassion and suicide risk.•Future studies should optimize the intervention program based on feedback and conduct an RCT to examine its efficacy.
ISSN:1876-2018
1876-2026
1876-2026
DOI:10.1016/j.ajp.2024.104207