Fang Tang1, Majella Byrne2, Ping Qin3. 1. Health Management Centre, Qianfoshan Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, China; Centre for Suicide Prevention and Research, School of Public Health, Shandong University, China. 2. PICuP Clinic, Maudsley Psychology Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK; Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Kings College London, UK. 3. Centre for Suicide Prevention and Research, School of Public Health, Shandong University, China; National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: ping.qin@medisin.uio.no.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Psychological distress and suicidal behavior are important mental health problems among university students and warrant research to inform strategies for effective prevention in this young population. The present study aimed to assess psychological distress and suicidal behavior and to unravel their associations among university students. METHODS: A total of 5972 undergraduate students, randomly selected from six universities in central China, comprised the sample. The Chinese version of the Symptom Checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-R) was used to assess various psychological symptoms. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between psychological distress and risk for suicidal behavior. RESULTS: 40.7% of the university students reported positive in a least one of the 9 psychological symptom dimensions assessed by the SCL-90-R. 7.6% of the students reported suicidal behavior in the previous twelve months. The risk of suicidal behavior was significantly associated with psychological symptoms of all types, but there were notable differences by sex. For male students, depression and phobic anxiety increased the risk of suicidal behavior. Meanwhile, depression and obsessive-compulsiveness were positively associated with suicidal behavior in female students. Furthermore, increasing risk of suicidal behavior was associated with increasing positive symptom total (PST) score and a statistically significant trend was observed. LIMITATIONS: Data collected from a cross-sectional survey does not allow any examination of causal inference. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological distress and suicidal behavior were both common among university students; and psychological distress was highly associated with suicidal behavior. The findings underscore the importance of mental health care for university students.
BACKGROUND: Psychological distress and suicidal behavior are important mental health problems among university students and warrant research to inform strategies for effective prevention in this young population. The present study aimed to assess psychological distress and suicidal behavior and to unravel their associations among university students. METHODS: A total of 5972 undergraduate students, randomly selected from six universities in central China, comprised the sample. The Chinese version of the Symptom Checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-R) was used to assess various psychological symptoms. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between psychological distress and risk for suicidal behavior. RESULTS: 40.7% of the university students reported positive in a least one of the 9 psychological symptom dimensions assessed by the SCL-90-R. 7.6% of the students reported suicidal behavior in the previous twelve months. The risk of suicidal behavior was significantly associated with psychological symptoms of all types, but there were notable differences by sex. For male students, depression and phobic anxiety increased the risk of suicidal behavior. Meanwhile, depression and obsessive-compulsiveness were positively associated with suicidal behavior in female students. Furthermore, increasing risk of suicidal behavior was associated with increasing positive symptom total (PST) score and a statistically significant trend was observed. LIMITATIONS: Data collected from a cross-sectional survey does not allow any examination of causal inference. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological distress and suicidal behavior were both common among university students; and psychological distress was highly associated with suicidal behavior. The findings underscore the importance of mental health care for university students.
Authors: Bob Lew; Augustine Osman; Jenny Mei Yiu Huen; Ching Sin Siau; Mansor Abu Talib; Jia Cunxian; Caryn Mei Hsien Chan; Angel Nga Man Leung Journal: Int J Clin Health Psychol Date: 2020-05-12
Authors: Isabella Giulia Franzoi; Fabrizio D'Ovidio; Giuseppe Costa; Angelo d'Errico; Antonella Granieri Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-06-13 Impact factor: 3.390