Abstract

This study determined the prevalence of suicidal ideation among students in tertiary institutions in Osun State, Nigeria. It also investigated the level of emotional resilience among the students and finally determined the contribution of emotional resilience to suicidal ideation. A survey research design was employed for the study. All the undergraduate students in tertiary institutions in Osun State constituted the population, out of which 434 respondents were selected from three universities. Two standardised scales were adapted to elicit information on emotional resilience and suicidal ideation among the respondents. Data collected were analysed using percentages and chi-square statistics. The results showed that Suicidal ideation was low on the majority (44.0%) of the students; however, 19.8% of the students had a high level of suicidal ideation, and this was considered worrisome. Also, it was discovered that the majority of the students (50.9%) have high emotional resilience. Finally, the study revealed that there was a significant influence of emotional resilience on suicidal ideation among the students (χ2 =11.1693, p = 0.0247) as a low level of suicidal ideation was found among the respondents with a high level of emotional resilience. The study, therefore, concluded that high emotional resilience contributes positively to reducing suicidal ideation.