SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Health Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicIntegrating Health Psychology in Practice: Enhancing Well-Being and Improving Health Outcomes Across Diverse Contexts - Volume IIView all articles
Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation in Healthcare Personnel: A Systematic Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universidad a Distancia de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- 2Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
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Healthcare workers are exposed to high levels of occupational stress, emotional burden, and burnout, which may increase the risk of suicidal ideation. Understanding the prevalence, risk factors, and protective factors related to suicidal thoughts in this population is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies and improving mental health support within healthcare systems. Aim: This review investigates suicidal ideation among healthcare professionals, a growing concern that affects their mental well-being and the quality of healthcare delivery. The study aims to identify key risk factors, such as work-related stress, exposure to death, and lack of institutional support, that contribute to suicidal ideation in this population. It also explores protective factors, including resilience, social support, and institutional resources, that may mitigate these risks. Method: A systematic review was conducted on studies published between 2020 and 2024. The literature search spanned databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Dialnet, and Scielo. The review followed the PRISMA guidelines to ensure thoroughness and transparency in study selection. To assess the quality of the included studies, standardized tools like the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were applied. Results: The review identified that the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified factors leading to suicidal ideation among healthcare professionals, with a notable increase in prevalence during this period. Identified risk factors included high levels of occupational stress, frequent exposure to death and suffering, and insufficient institutional support. Conversely, protective factors like resilience, social support, and access to institutional resources were found to reduce susceptibility to suicidal ideation. Conclusion: The findings highlight an urgent need for comprehensive prevention strategies and support programs targeting healthcare personnel. Recommendations for interventions span individual, organizational, and public policy levels. Enhancing resilience and providing institutional support could be crucial steps in reducing the incidence of suicidal ideation in this vulnerable group, ultimately improving both their mental health and the quality of healthcare services.
Keywords: Suicide, Suicidal Ideation, healthcare professionals, Risk factors, Protective factors, resilience
Received: 01 Oct 2025; Accepted: 06 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Peinado García, Rueda-Extremera, Dorta and Cantero-García. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: María Cantero-García, maria.canterogar@gmail.com
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