A Risk Algorithm for the Persistence of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors During College

Abstract

OBJECTIVE The primary aims are to: (a) identify patterns of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) during college among students with lifetime pre-matriculation STB and (b) develop a risk-screening algorithm for persistence of pre-matriculation STB during college. METHODS Data come from the Leuven College Surveys, a series of prospective cohort studies of all incoming KU Leuven University freshmen. In the academic year 2012 and 2013, 4,889 incoming freshmen (73.2% response rate) provided baseline data on socio-demographic variables, childhood-adolescent traumatic experiences, 12-month stressful experiences, 12-month mental disorders, 12-month STB, and severity markers of pre-matriculation STB. A total of 2,566 students (69.3% conditional response rate) participated in 12- and 24-month follow-up surveys during the first two college years. RESULTS Thirteen percent (weighted n=535) of incoming freshmen reported lifetime pre-matriculation STB. Of those, 28.0% reported 12-month STB in one follow-up assessment and another 27.7% in both follow-up assessments. High persistence of STB (i.e., 12-month STB in two follow-up assessments) was most strongly associated with severity markers of pre-matriculation STB, with odds ratios in the 2.4–10.3 range and population attributable risk proportions between 9.2% and 50.8%. When aiming for less than 50% of false positive cases (PPV=54.4%), a multivariate predictive risk algorithm (cross-validated AUC=0.79) situated 59.9% of highly persistent cases among the 30% respondents with highest baseline predicted risk. CONCLUSION An individualized web-based screening approach is a promising strategy to identify students at the onset of university who may be at high risk for STB persistence during their academic career.

Mental disorder comorbidity and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys International College Student initiative

“…Our findings suggest that students reporting high comorbidity may be at elevated risk of SA, which is consistent with prior research (Nock et al, ) and highlights a specific role for (hypo)mania and generalized anxiety disorder in predicting SA, which is in line with recent theories on the importance of affective disturbance and overarousal (including core features such as insomnia and irritability) in predicting suicidal intent (particularly when combined with feelings of alienation or helplessness; Stanley, Rufino, Rogers, Ellis, & Joiner, ). More broadly, the results underscore that relatively low‐cost web‐based screening tools may be effective in reaching high‐risk students in need of help (Mortier et al, ) and, if integrated with prevention and intervention services, may reduce the incidence of STB on college campuses.…”

<p>Suicidal Behavior and Associated Factors Among Students in Mettu University, South West Ethiopia, 2019: An Institutional Based Cross-Sectional Study</p>

“…Additionally, our sample shows higher lifetime and past 12-month prevalence of suicidal ideation and planning, compared to studies conducted at Cambridge University, 6 University of Maryland, 9 and Belgium. 5 The discrepancy might be related to tools of study and sociocultural background of the population.…”

“…3,4 Adolescence and young adulthood carry a risk for suicidal behaviors. 5,6 About 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year and college and university students with suicidal ideation are at high risk of suicide. 7 Suicide is the leading cause of death among college and university students and it accounts for 19% of all deaths for this population.…”

Stimulating Intrinsic Motivation in Millennial Students: A New Generation, a New Approach

“…Consequently, as their educational performance declines maladaptive personalities emerge (Dyrbye et al, 2006;Omigbodun et al, 2006;Yates et al, 2008;Garrud and Yates, 2012;Delany et al, 2015), leading to a vicious cycle of poor grades, stress, self-doubt, and decreased efficacy in these students (Schubert, 2016;McConville et al, 2017;Yan et al, 2017;McLuckie et al, 2018;Rotenstein et al, 2016). It is interesting that even within the pre-health care student community, female students have been observed to be more predisposed to developing stress as compared to males (Pritchard et al, 2007;Garett et al, 2017;Mortier et al, 2017). This trend is possibly reflected in the increased propensity for burnouts in female students in health care programs, as compared to males (Kessler, 2003;Dyrbye et al, 2006;Delany et al, 2015;Kenney et al, 2018;Liao et al, 2018).…”