Correlation between Stressful Life Events and Suicidal Ideation among Patients with Schizophrenia in Remission Stage: A Cross-sectional Study
Introduction: Patients with schizophrenia often exhibit impaired executive brain function, which disrupts their daily activities. Relapse in schizophrenia has been linked to stressful life events. Aim: To identify the relationship between life event stressors and suicidal ideation among patients wi...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jcdr.net/article_fulltext.asp?issn=0973-709x&year=2025&month=July&volume=19&issue=7&page=VC01-VC05&id=21265 |
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| Summary: | Introduction: Patients with schizophrenia often exhibit impaired executive brain function, which disrupts their daily activities. Relapse in schizophrenia has been linked to stressful life events.
Aim: To identify the relationship between life event stressors and suicidal ideation among patients with schizophrenia at the remission stage in a tertiary care hospital.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital among 120 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in remission. Screening for eligibility was performed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Data were collected through a structured questionnaire capturing sociodemographic variables, the Beck’s Suicidal Ideation Scale (BSS), and the Presumptive Life Event Stress Scale (PSLES). Statistical analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS version 23.0. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, religion, and socioeconomic status did not significantly influence BSS scores. Likewise, clinical factors such as frequency of hospitalisation, age of onset, duration of illness, and duration of remission showed no significant relationship with suicidal ideation. Life event stressors were notably prevalent, with marital conflict 65 (54.2%), conflict with in-laws 58 (48.3%), and financial problems 54 (45.0%) being the most commonly reported. Patients experiencing 3-5 stressors and more than 5 stressors had significantly higher mean BSS scores (9.8 and 13.2, respectively) compared to those with 1-3 stressors (6.8), with p-values of 0.008 and <0.001. Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r=0.482, p<0.001) indicated a moderate positive relationship between cumulative stress and suicidal ideation. The regression model further showed that 23% of the variance in suicidal ideation could be explained by life event stress levels.
Conclusion: The study found a significant positive correlation between life event stressors and suicidal ideation in patients with schizophrenia in remission. Routine screening for psychosocial stress may aid in early identification and prevention of suicide risk in this population. |
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| ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |