The Impact of Self-Esteem on Suicidal Ideation among Undergraduates in Delta State: A Moderating Role of Academic Stress and Sex

This study investigated the relationship between self-esteem and suicidal ideation among undergraduates in Delta State. The design that was used for this study is an ex-facto research design. The population of this study comprises 60,790 in four public universities in Delta State. This study's sample consists of 1000 students drawn from the entire population. Multi-stage sampling procedures comprising purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed in selecting the sample for the study. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire titled the self-esteem, academic stress, and suicidal ideation questionnaire (SEASSIQ). The Cronbach alpha was applied for the computation of the reliability coefficient of the subscales of the instrument. The reliability coefficient values for the self-esteem rating scale are 0.52, the academic stress rating scale is 0.74, and the suicidal ideation rating scale is 0.69. The instruments were administered by the researcher and two research assistants to respondents in the selected tertiary institutions, as stated in the sampling procedures for the study. The research questions were answered using the Pearson correlation and coefficient of determination for the research question. The hypotheses were tested using linear and multiple linear regressions at a 0.05 level of significance. The study's findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between self-esteem and suicidal ideation among university undergraduates in Delta State; academic stress has a significant moderating impact on self-esteem and suicidal ideation among university undergraduates in Delta State; and sex has no significant moderating impact on the relationship between self-esteem and suicidal ideation among university undergraduates in Delta State. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that self-esteem plays a crucial role in influencing suicidal ideation among university undergraduates in Delta State. It is recommended, among others, that universities implement programmes such as workshops, counselling services, and peer support groups with the aim of fostering a positive self-image and resilience among undergraduates.