Exploring the Role of Religion and Culture in Mental Health and Suicidal Ideation among Indonesian Islamic University Students: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37812/fikroh.v19i2.2422Keywords:
Religiosity, Culture, , Mental Health Distress , Suicidal Ideation, Islamic University StudentsAbstract
Suicidal ideation among university students is a public mental health concern that requires culturally responsive and ethically grounded prevention strategies. Although religion and culture are frequently described as protective resources in Muslim-majority and collectivistic societies, their empirical roles in student mental health remain insufficiently specified, particularly in Indonesian higher education. This study examined the associations between religiosity, religious and cultural support, mental health distress, and suicidal ideation among students enrolled in three Islamic universities in Indonesia. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 103 students aged 18-26 years using standardized self-report measures of religiosity, religious and cultural support, mental health distress, and suicidal ideation. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression were used to examine statistical relationships among the variables. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 18 participants selected to represent diverse levels of religiosity and psychological distress, and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The regression model explained 50.4% of the variance in suicidal ideation. Mental health distress was the strongest positive predictor, whereas religiosity and religious and cultural support were significant negative predictors. Qualitative findings clarified that religion functioned through meaning-making, hope, emotional regulation, and moral restraint, while culture operated ambivalently as both a source of belonging and a potential source of stigma. The findings indicate that suicide prevention in Indonesian universities should integrate evidence-based mental health care with culturally sensitive religious and community resources, while avoiding moralizing, stigma, or the replacement of professional intervention with religious advice alone.
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