The effect of problem-solving skills education on suicide ideation and self-esteem of inpatients at the psychiatry service: A follow-up study*

INTRODUCTION: This study focused on exploring the effect of education program held to improve problem-solving skills for the patients who were hospitalized at a psychiatry service and had suicide ideation upon self-esteem and suicide ideation.
METHODS: The study was done as a follow-up study with a pre-test, post-test, and control group. The study was con-ducted with 34 patients –17 patients assigned to the experimental group and 17 patients to the control group. A three-session problem-solving skills development program was held for the patients. The scales were again administered to the patients 3 weeks and 6 weeks later the training and patients were followed-up. The study data were gathered using the “Information Request Form,” “Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale” and “Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation.”
RESULTS: In the study, the experimental and the control groups were similar in terms of gender, marital status, educational status, family type, those with whom they lived together, employment status, economic status, suicide history, problem-solving level, and medical diagnosis (p>0.05). After the problem-solving training, there were statistically significant differences among the average suicide ideation scores of the experimental group patients (p<0.05). The experimental group patients’ self-esteem scores increased while their suicide ideation scores decreased. In terms of the variables of gender and previous suicide attempts, intragroup comparisons of the patients in the experimental and control groups showed that a statistically significant difference existed between average scores of self-esteem and suicide ideation (p<0.05), however, there was no significant difference in intergroup comparisons (p>0.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In the study; a three-session problem-solving skills development program was held for the inpatients with suicide ideation and their self-esteem went up while suicide ideation went down.