De zoektocht naar betekenis wanneer alles verloren lijkt: de bijdrage van spirituele zorg aan de preventie van suïcidaal gedrag onder universiteitsstudenten

Suicide is a significant public health issue and one of the leading causes of death amongst people aged 15 to 29. This is particularly relevant within the university context, where many students fall into this age group. Moreover, there is a high prevalence of mental health challenges and engagement in suicidal thoughts and behaviours amongst university students. Thus, recognising and promoting the role that university chaplains can play in this area is crucial, as they are uniquely positioned to provide both emotional and spiritual support. The title of this dissertation, Spotlighting Spirituality: The Contributions of University Chaplains to Suicide Prevention, explicitly emphasises the spiritual dimension. There are two key reasons for this emphasis: Firstly, spirituality is often overlooked in research on suicide prevention (though its constructs—such as meaning, belonging, hope, and transcendence—are explored, spirituality itself is rarely named). Secondly, the contributions of spiritual care professionals (in this case, university chaplains) to suicide prevention remain underexplored in academic literature.