Objective: Depression and hopelessness leading to suicide is a serious problem worldwide. It has been reported that hopelessness, which is stated to be important in the prevention of suicidal behavior, can be reduced with specific methods. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of motivational interviewing on hopelessness in patients with depression who are at risk of suicide.
Methods: The research has the characteristics of experimental research. The research sample consisted of 89 depressive patients, 43 of whom were in the experimental group and 46 were in the control group. Patients with a score of 6 and above by applying the Beck Suicidal Ideation Scale to the patients were included in the study sample. Then, “Personal Information Form” and “Beck Hopelessness Scale” were applied to the patients. Motivational interview was applied to the patients in the experimental group.
Results: The vast majority (47.2%) of the patients in the study reported that they attempted suicide. A positive correlation was found between the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation and the Beck Hopelessness Scale mean scores. It was observed that the mean Beck Hopelessness Scale scores of the experimental group, who applied motivational interviewing, decreased significantly in the post-test (8.53 ± 2.14) compared to the pre-test (11.58 ± 3.23) (P < .001).
Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that motivational interviewing can be used in coping with hopelessness in patients with depression at the risk of suicide. It is recommended for psychiatric nurses to utilize motivational interviewing in order to reduce hopelessness.
Cite this article as: Bahar A. The effect of motivational interviewing on hopelessness severity of the depression patients at the risk of suicide. Neuropsychiatr Invest. 2023;61(1):12-18.