Mindfulness Skill of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in the Prevention of Suicidal Ideation among Older Farmers of Punjab

Objective: The study examines the efficacy of mindfulness skills in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) on older farmers with suicidal ideation, psychological distress, helplessness, hopelessness, and low resilience. It was hypothesized that the mindfulness skills of DBT would alleviate suicidal ideation, hopelessness, helplessness, and psychological distress and enhance resilience in older farmers of Punjab.

Methods: A total of 46 older farmers (65-82 years old) out of 285 who participated in the study belonged to various villages of Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Sangrur, Gurdaspur, Faridkot, Barnala, Bathinda, and Mansa districts of Punjab were screened based on a threshold score of the Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R, Osman et al., 2001). The 46 older farmers were given intervention over six weeks. The average age was 69.87 years old (65-82).

Results: Paired sample t-test results revealed that the intervention had significantly alleviated suicidal ideation, hopelessness (HOP), helplessness (HLP), psychological distress, and enhanced resilience among the farmers.

Conclusion: The findings suggest the mindfulness skill of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was effective for distressed older farmers and helped them restore their psychological functioning.