The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the Meaning of Life and Psychological Capital of Male Students with Suicidal Ideation

Abstract

Background: Given the concerning prevalence of suicidal ideation among male students, exploring potential interventions like acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to improve their meaning of life and psychological well-being is crucial. Objectives: This research was conducted to evaluate the impact of ACT on enhancing life’s meaning and psychological capital among male students experiencing suicidal ideation. Methods: The research method was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group. The statistical population consisted of all male high school students with suicidal thoughts during the 2022 - 2023 academic year in Izeh city. Out of these, 30 individuals were selected through the multistage cluster random sampling method and were then randomly assigned to the ACT group and the control group (15 individuals each). The instruments included the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) and Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ). Participants in the experimental group attended ACT sessions for 8 weeks (one 75-minute session per week), but no intervention was conducted in the control group. Research data were analyzed using analysis of covariance in SPSS-26. Results: The meaning in life scores for the ACT group were 33.60 ± 8.15 at pretest and increased to 41.20 ± 6.67 at posttest. Moreover, the psychological capital scores for the ACT group were 68.13 ± 13.28 at pretest and increased to 79.40 ± 8.61 at posttest. The results revealed significant improvements in both the meaning of life and psychological capital in the ACT group compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Specifically, the ACT intervention led to a significant increase in the meaning of life scores and psychological capital scores among male students experiencing suicidal ideation (P < 0.01). Conclusions: These findings indicate that ACT could help improve life meaning and well-being in students with suicidal ideation. Future studies could examine how ACT brings about these changes and look into its long-term impact.