The Influence of Peer Support on Suicidal Ideation in Students at a University in Malang City

Abstract

Students are individuals who are pursuing education in college with all the opportunities and challenges that make them vulnerable to mental health problems, one of which is suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation among students can actually be prevented by providing sufficient resources. One resource that can be utilized to reduce this vulnerability is peer support. This study attempts to prove the influence of peer support on suicidal ideation among psychology students at Universitas X. The difference in social relationship patterns between public universities (PTN) or private universities (PTS) and Islamic universities (PTKIN) is one of the novelties and urgencies of this study. A total of 135 psychology students at Universitas X were involved as respondents, using accidental sampling as the respondent selection technique. This study used a Google Form questionnaire as a data collection tool containing two scales, namely Peer Social Support and the Revised Suicidal Ideation Scale, with alpha reliability test results of 0.927 and 0.930, respectively, with item discrimination on the first scale of 0.310-0.646 and on the second scale of 0.622-0.843. The results of this study indicate that there is a negative effect of peer support on suicidal ideation among students of the Faculty of Psychology at Universitas X with a value of (r = -0.208), (df= 1.132) and (p= 0.008< 0.01). These results prove that peer support will have a positive impact in suppressing maladaptive conditions that lead to suicidal ideation. Therefore, it is necessary for all parties, including the university or faculty, parents, peers, and students themselves, to provide sufficient support and facilities.