Aim and background: Suicide remains a critical public health concern worldwide, with attempted suicidal behavior representing a significant risk factor for completed suicide. Numerous factors contribute to suicidal behavior; the role of metacognition, the ability to think about one's own thinking processes, has gained increasing attention in recent years. In this study, metacognitive patterns between individuals who have attempted suicide and those who are healthy controls in the context of depression are compared.
Materials and methods: A case–control study was conducted on 30 suicide attempters and 30 healthy controls. Data was collected through a semistructured questionnaire that incorporated sociodemographic profiling. Depression was assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, 24 items (HAMD-24). The Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) was used to assess their metacognition, and the data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.
Results: The study group scored significantly more than the control group in HAMD (23.47 ± 4.63 vs 8.27 ± 6.74). In the metacognition total scores, the study group (71.6 ± 14.89) had a significantly higher score compared to controls. Lack of cognitive confidence and positive beliefs and worry showed no significant differences (p = 0.172, p = 0.369). However, statistically significant differences were observed in negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger (p = 0.005) and the need to control thoughts (p < 0.001). Age-groups above 29 years exhibited significant differences in metacognition, negative beliefs, and the need to control thoughts (p = 0.003, p < 0.001, and p = 0.001). When it came to gender, for males, lack of confidence (p = 0.027) and for females, negative beliefs (p = 0.049) and the need to control thoughts (p = 0.001) were significantly greater in the study group.
Conclusion: There were significant differences in metacognitive beliefs and processes among these groups, underscoring the importance of considering metacognition in understanding suicidal behavior within the context of depression and developing targeted interventions to mitigate the same.
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