Hardiness, spirituality, and suicidal ideation among individuals with substance abuse: the moderating role of gender and marital status

Abstract

Objective: Substance abuse is a serious and major public health problem in Iran and potentially increases the risk of suicidal behavior; therefore, it is essential to increase our knowledge concerning the etiology of suicide among individuals with substance use disorders. The present study sought to examine the associations among hardiness, spirituality, and suicidal ideation in Iranian individuals with substance abuse.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012, and participants comprised 450 individuals seeking substance abuse treatment at 10 addiction treatment centers in Tehran, Iran. All data were collected via self-report questionnaires.

Results: Sixty-seven percent of participants were male, 47% were married, and 59% were working. Structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested that, as expected, spirituality and hardiness were positively associated with each other. Findings also showed that spirituality and hardiness were negatively associated with suicidal ideation among this group of individuals with substance abuse, explaining 46% of the variance in suicidal ideation. That is, those with low levels of spirituality and low levels of hardiness were more likely to report suicidal ideation. There was a moderating effect of gender, such that greater hardiness predicted a lower likelihood of suicidal ideation for males but not for females.

Conclusions: These findings reinforce the importance of spirituality and hardiness as protective factors against suicidal ideation in individuals with substance abuse, as well as the particular role of hardiness for men.

Keywords: hardiness; spirituality; substance abusers; suicidal ideation.