Spirituality and Emotional Dysregulation on Suicide Among Schizophrenic Patients in Nigeria

Aim: Schizophrenia presents a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, with its complex interplay of symptoms often leading to profound psychological distress and functional impairment among affected individuals. Despite growing attention to mental health in Nigeria, there remains a critical gap in understanding how spirituality and emotional dysregulation interact to influence suicidal tendencies among individuals living with schizophrenia, particularly in terms of their predictive roles in this high-risk population. Subjects and Methods: A total of 137 people living with schizophrenia between the ages of 18 and 45 participated in an eleven-month hospital-based cross-sectional study in Nigeria. Standardised psychological measures like the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI), Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), Brief Emotional Dysregulation Scale (BEDS) and medical records and socio-demographics were used to gather data. The collected data were analysed using Inferential statistics such as zero-order correlation and hierarchical regression used to test the hypothesis, all with a programme of IBM/SPSS 25.0 Results: The sample was predominantly males (69.3 %) with a mean age of 31.66 years. A significant negative correlation was found between spirituality and suicide (r = -0.23, p < 0.01), indicating that higher levels of spirituality are associated with lower suicide risk. Conversely, emotional dysregulation was positively correlated with suicide (r = 0.21, p < 0.05), suggesting that difficulties in managing emotions elevate the risk of suicide among schizophrenic patients. Regression analysis further revealed that emotional dysregulation independently predicts suicide risk, while spirituality serves as a protective factor, significantly negating suicide tendencies. Conclusion: This study underscores the significance of holistic mental health approaches for people living with schizophrenia. It highlights the need to address emotional regulation deficits and nurture spiritual well-being in clinical interventions to enhance overall well-being and reduce suicide risk.