A casual model for predicting suicidal risk in university students of Honduras

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to determine the casual relationships between hope, interpersonal support, seeking for meaning, presence of meaning, gratitude, loneliness and depression over suicidal risk of undergraduate psychology students. Materials and Methods: This was accomplished through a quantitative method, with a non-experimental design and an explanatory scope, in sample of 117 university students. The path analysis was made using a casual structural equations model. Results: The results provide evidence to support the predictive direct effects of depression, loneliness and search for meaning, as well as inverse effects of interpersonal support and hope over suicidal risk. However, gratitude and presence of meaning did not have significant effects over suicidal risk. The model accounts for 31% of the variance of suicidal risk. Conclusion: The study of suicidal risk must be approached holistically, considering psychological, existential and social variables. These results are discussed according to their implications and consistency with prior studies.