The Effect of Cognitive Therapy Program on Hope of Suicide Attempters in Mukdahan Hospital.

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study with a single-group pretest–posttest design aimed to compare the mean hope scores of suicide attempters before and after receiving a cognitive therapy program. The participants were 15 suicide attempters who received treatment at the psychiatric outpatient clinic of Mukdahan Hospital, Mukdahan Province, between June 12 and August 15, 2025. The sample size was determined using G*Power Version 3.1.9.7, and participants were purposively selected according to inclusion criteria: aged 13 years or older, diagnosed as suicide attempters (ICD-10 codes X69–X84), and past the acute crisis phase. Research instruments consisted of (1) a personal information questionnaire, (2) the Thai version of the Suicidal Ideation Scale (SSI-Thai Version 2014), (3) the Thai version of the Herth Hope Index, and (4) the cognitive therapy program for enhancing hope among suicide attempters. Content validity indices for instruments (2–4) were 0.89, 0.89, and 0.80, respectively. Data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, paired t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA. The results were that after receiving the cognitive therapy program, participants’ mean hope scores significantly increased compared with pretest scores (p < 0.05). The conclusion of the findings indicates that the cognitive therapy program was effective in enhancing and sustaining hope, as well as reducing suicidal ideation among suicide attempters. It is recommended that relevant healthcare personnel and agencies promote and further develop the program for continuous service provision.