A path to suicidal ideation through emotional intelligence: the mediating role of spiritual intelligence and resilience in borderline personality disorder

Abstract

Introduction Low levels of emotional intelligence may constitute a vulnerability factor associated with suicidal ideation. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship require further investigation. This study explored how spiritual intelligence and resilience mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and suicidal ideation in individuals with borderline personality disorder. Methods To achieve this goal, 161 participants (18–50 years old) completed the questionnaire: The Siberia Schering’s Emotional Intelligence, The King Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaire (SISRI24), The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISK), and The Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) measuring the study variables. We conducted this research using SPSS 26 and Macro v4.3. Results Results revealed that there was a significant and negative relationship between emotional intelligence and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, it was found that spiritual intelligence and resilience mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and suicidal ideation. However, there was no significant association between emotional intelligence and suicidal ideation via spiritual intelligence. Discussion The findings of this study align well with most of our hypotheses, highlighting the role of emotional intelligence in relation to suicidal ideation and emphasizing the importance of spiritual intelligence and resilience as mediating factors.