Abstract
Background. Suicide and its associated consequences outcomes a major mental health challenge globally and within Iran. Increasing rates highlight the urgent need for effective preventive and therapeutic interventions. Psychological factors such as emotion dysregulation, play a key role in the persistence and intensification of suicidal ideation. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a self-compassion–based and spirituality-based interventions on emotion regulation in individuals with suicidal ideation.
Methods. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group and a four-month follow-up. The study was conducted in 2025 in Sahand, Iran. Participants included 45 individuals aged (18–44) experiencing suicidal ideation, selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two intervention groups (self-compassion–based and spirituality-based) or a control group. Data were collected using the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-Short). The self-compassion was delivered over eight sessions, while the spirituality-based intervention consisted of twelve sessions. Data analysis was performed using a mixed-design multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures in SPSS v.27.
Results. Findings indicated that the main effect of the group on composite emotion regulation variables was significant (F=6.085, P<0.001, η²=0.225). The main effect of time (F=53.402, P<0.001, η²=0.846) and the group-by-time interaction effect (F=17.898, P<0.001, η²=0.642) were also significant. Both interventions significantly increased adaptive emotion regulation and decreased maladaptive strategies from pretest to posttest, with these improvements maintained at the follow-up. Post-hoc comparisons revealed that the self-compassion intervention was more effective than the control group for both types of regulation (P<0.01), whereas the spirituality-based intervention demonstrated its strongest impact on reducing maladaptive strategies. No significant differences were observed between the two intervention groups (P>0.05).
Conclusion. Both self-compassion-based and spirituality-based interventions are effective in improving emotion regulation and reducing maladaptive strategies in individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. These results suggest that psychological approaches rooted in self-compassion and spirituality can serve as valuable complementary options within suicide preventive and treatment programs for at-risk populations.
Research Insight
· The effectiveness of both self-compassion–based and spirituality-based interventions in enhancing emotion regulation among individuals experiencing suicidal ideation.
· A sustained increase in adaptive strategies and a corresponding reduction in maladaptive strategies from pretest to posttest, with clinical gains maintained at follow-up.
· The effectiveness of the self-compassion–based intervention in bolstering adaptive emotion regulation strategies among at-risk individuals.
· The effectiveness of the spirituality-based intervention in reducing maladaptive emotion regulation strategies among individuals with suicidal ideation.
· Self-compassion–based and spirituality-based interventions improve emotion regulation in individuals with suicidal ideation through different yet complementary psychological pathways
Extended Abstract
Background
Suicide remains premier challenge challenges in global mental health. Its rising prevalence—both worldwide and in Iran—underscores the urgent need for effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. Psychological determinants, particularly deficits in emotion regulation, are known to play a central role in the onset, maintenance, and escalation of suicidal ideation. Consequently, enhancing emotion regulation has become a primary target for interventions aimed at reducing suicide risk. Among emerging therapeutic approaches, self-compassion–based and spirituality-oriented interventions have shown promise in fostering emotional resilience and reducing maladaptive coping. However, limited comparative evidence exists regarding their relative effectiveness in individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. Accordingly, this study aimed to compare the impact of a self-compassion–based intervention and a spirituality-based intervention on emotion regulation among this population.
Methods
This study employed a quasi-experimental a pretest–posttest design with a control group and a four-month follow-up. The target population consisted of adults aged (18–44) residing in Sahand, Iran, identified as having suicidal ideation through initial screening. A sample of 45 participants—15 per group—was selected using purposive sampling and subsequently randomized into two intervention groups (self-compassion-based and spirituality-based) and a waitlist control group. Data were collected using the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) and the short form of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-Short). The self-compassion intervention followed the Neff and Germer protocol, (eight sessions), while the spirituality-based intervention followed the Richards and Bergin model (twelve sessions). Data analysis included descriptive statistics and parametric tests. A mixed-design multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures (3×3) was used to examine changes across pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Assumptions of normality, homogeneity of variances, and sphericity were assessed, with Greenhouse–Geisser corrections applied where necessary. All analyses were conducted using SPSS v. 27.
Results
A total of 45 participants were analyzed (n = 15 per group). The mixed multivariate ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of group (F=6.085, P<0.001, η²=0.225), a significant main effect of time (F=53.402, P<0.001, η²=0.846), and a significant group-by-time interaction (F=17.898, P<0.001, η²=0.642) for composite emotion regulation outcomes. Univariate analyses showed that for adaptive emotion regulation, the effects of group (F=4.366, P=0.019, η²=0.172), time (F=18.884, P<0.001, η²=0.310), and the group-by-time interaction (F=14.133, P<0.001, η²=0.402) were all significant. For maladaptive emotion regulation, the effects of group (F=14.729, P<0.001, η²=0.412), time (F=123.693, P<0.001, η²=0.747), and group-by-time interaction (F=30.775, P<0.001, η²=0.594) were also significant. Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons indicated significant improvements from pretest to posttest and follow-up in both intervention groups. The self-compassion group showed a −9.933 reduction in maladaptive emotion regulation from pretest to posttest (P<0.001), while the spirituality-based group showed a similar reduction (P<0.001). No significant changes were observed in the control group (P>0.99). Between-group comparisons indicated that self-compassion significantly outperformed the control group in both adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation (maladaptive ΔM = −6.089, P<0.001). The spirituality-based intervention significantly improved maladaptive regulation compared to the control group (ΔM = 4.267, P=0.002), though its effect on adaptive regulation was not statistically significant (P=0.348). No significant differences were found between the two intervention groups (P>0.30).
Conclusion
The findings underscore the clinical value of self-compassion–based and spirituality-oriented interventions for individuals with suicidal ideation. Each approach contributed to enhancing emotion regulation skills and reducing the reliance on maladaptive emotional strategies. These outcomes suggest that integrating these psychological frameworks can enrich multidimensional treatment and prevention programs for at-risk populations.
Practical Implications of Research
The findings provide clinicians with evidence-based alternatives for treating suicidal ideation by targeting specific dimensions of emotion regulation. Self-compassion–based interventions appear particularly effective for enhancing adaptive strategies, while spirituality-based interventions are instrumental in reducing maladaptive strategies. The sustained efficacy observed at the four-month follow-up suggests these models foster long-term emotional resilience. Furthermore, these protocols offer scalable models for mental health intervention within primary healthcare settings.