Suicidal Risk and Protective Factors among University Students

Abstract

Background:  Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents. There is a drastic difference in the prevalence of suicidal thoughts, 24% vs. 9%, and attempts, 9% vs. 2.7%, in the university students when compared with the adult population as a whole. Emotional dysregulation and partaking in self-damaging behaviors have demonstrated an increase in suicide risk among university students where emotional dysregulation is defined as encompassing “non-acceptance of emotional responses, difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior, impulse control difficulties, lack of emotional awareness, limited access to emotion regulation strategies and lack of emotional clarity” both as individual components and to a higher extent when in combination. The view of oneself being burdensome to others along with the lack of perceived meaningful relationships is an important concept within emotional dysregulation and leads to continued painful or dangerous experience engagement and eventually the ability of the student to commit suicide.  Suicidality in the college student is a growing concern and many studies have demonstrated that before a student’s death by suicide about 50% visited a primary care provider within the month preceding and 25% had been under the care of a mental health professional the month preceding the event. There have also been some studies on protective factors targeting university students. A systematic review analyzing suicide risk among university students reported that reasons for living and hope provided significant protective effects.