Suicide is a pressing, global concern, with a growing number of adolescents affected. Present research tends to focus on external factors, for example, stressful life events. Internal factors, like...Show moreSuicide is a pressing, global concern, with a growing number of adolescents affected. Present research tends to focus on external factors, for example, stressful life events. Internal factors, like defence mechanisms, remain understudied. This investigation aimed to explore variations between categories of defense mechanisms used by university students in the Netherlands, with respect to their suicidal ideation scores. A total of 115 participants engaged in the cross-sectional research design. The questionnaires used were the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) and Defence Mechanisms Rating Scale-Self Report-30 Items (DMRS-SR-30). To assess these variations, a one-way ANOVA with a Bonferroni Correction was applied. The expectation was differences being present between used defensive categories, regarding varying scores of suicidal ideation. Gender was acknowledged as a potential influential factor. Significant differences were found within Category 1: Mature and Category 2: Neurotic in relation to the SIDAS scores (p < 0.001, p = 0.002), indicating differing scores of suicidal ideation within these groups. Category 3: Immature, as well as the subgroups Non-Depressive and Depressive, did not exhibit any significant variations within the SIDAS scores (p = 0.341, p = 0.882, p = 0.406), suggesting lack of differences in suicidal ideation scores among individuals in these categories. Gender was found to play a role in the association between suicidal ideation scores and each defensive category (all p < 0.05). The analysis revealed variations within the categories, due to the unavailability of finding the differences between them. Consequently, although the research question and hypothesis were not entirely validated, valuable information and findings were obtained pertaining to this subject. Implications of this research regard both practical aspects, such as new prevention strategies being designed, and theoretical factors, including further comprehension on psychological mechanisms of defence.Show less
