IMPACT OF NEGATIVE LIFE EVENTS ON SUICIDAL IDEATION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: DISPOSITIONAL OPTIMISM AS A MODERATOR DURING COVID-19

Abstract

The study intended to find out the impact of negative life events on suicidal ideation and moderating role of dispositional optimism between former and the later, among college students during COVID-19 in Pakistan. Purposive convenience sample of 300 college students (Mean age=18.45 years, SD=1.374) were taken from different colleges of Pakistan and the data was collected through online Google forms survey questionnaires. Negative life events, dispositional optimism and suicidal ideation among college students were examined. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between negative life events and suicidal ideation (r= .14,*p<.05) and markedly low and negligible positive correlation of dispositional optimism with negative life events and suicidal ideation (r=.11,*p<.05). Regression analysis revealed that negative life events (p<0.05, t=2.34) and dispositional optimism (*p<0.05, t=1.69) have significant positive impact on suicidal ideation. Moderation analysis illustrate that dispositional optimism plays significant (***p<0.001, *p<0.05) moderating role between the relationship of negative life events and suicidal ideation. It was discovered that the study variables revealed a positive correlation. Furthermore, in the times of COVID-19, perceiving adverse life events with a positive thinking and optimistic temperament had a beneficial impact on conceptions of taking one's own life, and positive future expectations had a moderating effect between gloomy life incidents and self-killing thoughts. Keywords: COVID-19, Negative Life Events, Suicidal Ideation, Dispositional Optimism, College Students.