Psychosocial Factors and Emotional Intelligence of Attempted Suicide Patients in Lampang Hospital
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Abstract
Objective: To study and compare psychosocial factors and emotional intelligence between attempted suicide patients treated at Lampang Hospital and individuals with no history of suicide attempts.
Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study included two groups: 1) patients aged 18-60 years who had attempted suicide and were treated at the psychiatric outpatient department of Lampang Hospital, and 2) a comparison group of individuals without a history of suicide attempts, selected from the general population aged 18 - 60 years, matched by gender and age within 5 years to the patient group. Each group comprised 42 participants, totaling 84 individuals. Data were collected between November 2023 and January 2024 using a general information questionnaire and the Thai Emotional Intelligence Assessment developed by the Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health. Statistical analyses included 1) descriptive statistics 2) Fisher’s exact test, and 3) Independent t-test.
Results: Among the attempted suicide group, 36 (85.7%) were female and 6 (14.3%) were male, with a mean age of 24.2 ± 6.3 years (ranging from 18 to 45 years). Similarly, the group without suicide attempts comprised 36 (85.7%) females and 6 (14.3%) males, with a mean age of 24.7 ± 5.7 years (ranging from 18 to 47 years). The study found that the attempted suicide group had lower educational levels, poorer family relationships, lower socioeconomic status, higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders, and higher substance use compared to the non-attempted suicide group. Regarding emotional intelligence, significant differences were found across all aspects except responsibility which showed no statistical significant difference. The non-attempted suicide group demonstrated higher self-control than normal range whereas level of empathy, responsibility, motivation, problem-solving, decision-making, relationships, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and emotional tranquility were within normal ranges. While the attempted suicide group showed significantly lower in emotional intelligence levels in all aspects except the empathy and responsibility levels which remained within normal ranges
Conclusion: Individuals who attempted suicide exhibited lower emotional intelligence levels than those who had not attempted suicide in almost all aspects. Therefore, specific emotional intelligence enhancement programs tailored to each aspect and further studies on the effectiveness or outcome of such programs may be beneficial for future suicide prevention efforts.
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