Development and Effectiveness of Mindfullness Based Cognitive Restructuring Program on Psychache and Hopelessness as Signals of Suicidal Ideation among Adolescents

Adolescence is a unique period in life span with wide range of developmental issues regarding transitions and challenges. In this developmental stage, adolescents are experiencing various types of stressors from family, peers, romantic partners and physical dissatisfaction with oneself. Stressful life situations lead to psychache which aggravate the individual to think suicide as the only solution for their problem. Suicidal risk increases when this unbearable psychological pain is associated with hopelessness. Psychache and hopelessness are the key signals of suicidal ideation. Suicide ideation is the first level of suicidal behavior and it is followed by suicidal plan and act. So the present study is focused to develop and assess the effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Restructuring (MBCR) program to reduce the signals of suicidal ideation among adolescents' in Kerala, India. This study was conducted in two phases; Phase I: development of MBCR program and Phase II: the assessment of effectiveness of the MBCR program employing the true experimental research method particularly Between-Subjects: Two Independent Group Design. A total of 36 female adolescents from public schools in Kerala were randomly assigned into both experimental and control groups. The data analysis was done utilizing mean scores, paired samples statistics: t-test for independent samples and the effectiveness was measured by Cohen's d. The statistical analysis between the pre test and post test scores of the experimental group showed significant differences (p=.000) at 0.05 level and the scores of the control and experimental group showed significant difference (p=.000) in all the dependent variables in the post test. The results of the study revealed the effectiveness of the MBCR program significantly reducing psychache, hopelessness and suicidal ideation of the adolescents in experimental group as compared to the control group.