Suicide ideation in emerging adulthood: Contributions of depressive symptoms, religiosity, parenting styles and social support

Suicide, especially among emerging adults, has continued to be a global phenomenon, demanding more in-depth empirical attention. Emerging adulthood is a probable suicidal ideation predisposing period that has received less scholarly attention. We examined the contributions of depression, religiosity...

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Main Authors: Kalu T.U. Ogba, Onyekachi Gift Chukwuma, Ezichi A. Ituma, Collins I. Ugwu, Omaka K. Ngele, Lovely Obayi, Chukwuma F. Ugwu, Christy Obi-Keguna, Ikechukwu E. Emeh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Acta Psychologica
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825003579
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author Kalu T.U. Ogba
Onyekachi Gift Chukwuma
Ezichi A. Ituma
Collins I. Ugwu
Omaka K. Ngele
Lovely Obayi
Chukwuma F. Ugwu
Christy Obi-Keguna
Ikechukwu E. Emeh
author_facet Kalu T.U. Ogba
Onyekachi Gift Chukwuma
Ezichi A. Ituma
Collins I. Ugwu
Omaka K. Ngele
Lovely Obayi
Chukwuma F. Ugwu
Christy Obi-Keguna
Ikechukwu E. Emeh
author_sort Kalu T.U. Ogba
collection DOAJ
description Suicide, especially among emerging adults, has continued to be a global phenomenon, demanding more in-depth empirical attention. Emerging adulthood is a probable suicidal ideation predisposing period that has received less scholarly attention. We examined the contributions of depression, religiosity, parenting styles, and social support to suicidal ideation among emerging adults. We conveniently sampled 1007 undergraduates comprising 496 (49.2 %) males and 511 (50.8 %) females whose ages ranged from 18 to 30 years with a mean age of 24 years (SD = 2.18). Results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that while depression significantly predicted suicidal ideation, preoccupation and conviction for religiosity did not; guidance and emotional involvement negatively predicted suicidal ideation. Parenting styles (mother and father) were not significant predictors of suicidal ideation. However, support from family, friends, and significant others negatively predicted suicidal ideation. We adopted the Three-Step Theory (3ST) to explain our findings that illustrate the need for government and educational institutions to make governance and educational curriculum less stressful and depressive such that the complimentary religious knowledge, parental teachings, and support from other family members, friends, and significant others can help improve abilities to achieve important (academic) life goals that promote quality of life and healthy living.
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spelling doaj-art-9bde305677194579812971ca9bfc72ce2025-08-20T03:09:44ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182025-06-0125610504410.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105044Suicide ideation in emerging adulthood: Contributions of depressive symptoms, religiosity, parenting styles and social supportKalu T.U. Ogba0Onyekachi Gift Chukwuma1Ezichi A. Ituma2Collins I. Ugwu3Omaka K. Ngele4Lovely Obayi5Chukwuma F. Ugwu6Christy Obi-Keguna7Ikechukwu E. Emeh8Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaDepartment of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; Department of New Testament and Related Literature, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Corresponding author at: Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaDepartment of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaDepartment of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaDepartment of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaDepartment of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaDepartment of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaDepartment of Public Administration and Local Government, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NigeriaSuicide, especially among emerging adults, has continued to be a global phenomenon, demanding more in-depth empirical attention. Emerging adulthood is a probable suicidal ideation predisposing period that has received less scholarly attention. We examined the contributions of depression, religiosity, parenting styles, and social support to suicidal ideation among emerging adults. We conveniently sampled 1007 undergraduates comprising 496 (49.2 %) males and 511 (50.8 %) females whose ages ranged from 18 to 30 years with a mean age of 24 years (SD = 2.18). Results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that while depression significantly predicted suicidal ideation, preoccupation and conviction for religiosity did not; guidance and emotional involvement negatively predicted suicidal ideation. Parenting styles (mother and father) were not significant predictors of suicidal ideation. However, support from family, friends, and significant others negatively predicted suicidal ideation. We adopted the Three-Step Theory (3ST) to explain our findings that illustrate the need for government and educational institutions to make governance and educational curriculum less stressful and depressive such that the complimentary religious knowledge, parental teachings, and support from other family members, friends, and significant others can help improve abilities to achieve important (academic) life goals that promote quality of life and healthy living.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825003579DepressionReligiosityParenting styleSocial supportSuicidal ideationEmerging adulthood
spellingShingle Kalu T.U. Ogba
Onyekachi Gift Chukwuma
Ezichi A. Ituma
Collins I. Ugwu
Omaka K. Ngele
Lovely Obayi
Chukwuma F. Ugwu
Christy Obi-Keguna
Ikechukwu E. Emeh
Suicide ideation in emerging adulthood: Contributions of depressive symptoms, religiosity, parenting styles and social support
Acta Psychologica
Depression
Religiosity
Parenting style
Social support
Suicidal ideation
Emerging adulthood
title Suicide ideation in emerging adulthood: Contributions of depressive symptoms, religiosity, parenting styles and social support
title_full Suicide ideation in emerging adulthood: Contributions of depressive symptoms, religiosity, parenting styles and social support
title_fullStr Suicide ideation in emerging adulthood: Contributions of depressive symptoms, religiosity, parenting styles and social support
title_full_unstemmed Suicide ideation in emerging adulthood: Contributions of depressive symptoms, religiosity, parenting styles and social support
title_short Suicide ideation in emerging adulthood: Contributions of depressive symptoms, religiosity, parenting styles and social support
title_sort suicide ideation in emerging adulthood contributions of depressive symptoms religiosity parenting styles and social support
topic Depression
Religiosity
Parenting style
Social support
Suicidal ideation
Emerging adulthood
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825003579
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