Citation

Barclay N, Kelley KA, Brausch AM, Muehlenkamp JJ, Nadorff MR. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/sltb.12981

PMID

37515442

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Suicide-related behaviors are prevalent among college students, and several mental health problems associated with increased suicide risk have increased over time. Furthermore, notable cultural events (e.g., political changes, COVID-19) have occurred in the past decade, which likely impact trends in suicide-related behaviors. The current study examined how the prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal ideation (SI), and suicide attempts has changed from 2012 to 2022 across three different universities.

METHOD: Archival datasets from multiple years of college student survey data were compiled, and different measures of NSSI, SI, and suicide attempts were dichotomized to assess prevalence. Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were used to identify changes in suicide-related behaviors across time.

RESULTS: Results indicated significant increases in the prevalence of most behaviors across each university, with most increases occurring after 2018. Despite sharing a general trend of increased suicide-related behaviors, each university differed considerably in their respective trends between various timepoints, suggesting that unique factors may differentially contribute to growing risk among college students.

CONCLUSION: Overall, the current study identifies increasing trends in suicide-related behaviors over the past decade and highlights the value of investigating these behaviors at the university level.

Language: en

Keywords

suicide attempt; suicidal ideation; epidemiologic studies; psychology; nonsuicidal self-injury; clinical; self-injurious behavior; student health services