Sleep problems and suicidal behaviors in college students

Abstract

Using a large sample of college students, objectives were to examine (1) the overlap between poor sleep and suicide risk status, (2) whether poor sleep was associated with suicide behaviors above and beyond depression, (3) whether sleep problems and depression interacted to predict increased suicidal behaviors or risk, and (4) which specific components of sleep were uniquely associated with suicidal behaviors. Participants were 1700 college students (ages 18-29 years; 65% female) from two universities who completed measures assessing sleep, depressive symptoms, and suicidal behaviors (Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised [SBQ-R], a composite measure including ideation, past attempt, disclosure to others, and future likelihood of suicide that includes a cutoff for determining participants with suicide risk). Approximately one-quarter (24%) of participants were classified with suicide risk. Four-fifths (82.7%) of participants classified with suicide risk also met cutoff criteria for sleep problems; conversely, almost one-third (31.3%) of the participants classified with sleep problems were also classified with suicide risk. Total sleep problems remained significantly associated with suicidal behaviors above and beyond depressive symptoms, though sleep and depression did not interact to predict suicidal behaviors or risk. When considered together and controlling for sex, the odds of being classified with suicide risk were 6.54 times greater for participants with elevated depressive symptoms and 2.70 times greater for participants with sleep problems. Analyses examining specific sleep domains found shorter sleep duration, having bad dreams, feeling too cold while sleeping, and sleep medication use to each be independently associated with suicidal behaviors. Findings add to a growing body of literature linking sleep and suicide in college students.

Zolpidem Use and Suicide Death in South Korea: A Population‐Based Case–Control Study

“…Several zolpidem‐related suicide attempts or deaths documented in 2006 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (McCall et al., ) occurred within 1 week of zolpidem use and did not involve psychiatric illnesses or other psychotropic medications. On the other hand, it is possible to argue that the observed association between zolpidem and suicide death may be confounded by sleep problems (Becker, Dvorsky, Holdaway, & Luebbe, ) or underlying severe diseases (Neutel & Johansen, ), possibly entailing the use of zolpidem. That is, the real causes of suicide are severe sleep problems or diseases, not the use of zolpidem.…”

Sleep problem, suicide and self-harm in university students: A systematic review

“…Importantly, disturbed sleep contributes to a myriad of negative consequences in terms of health, wellbeing and daytime functioning (25)(26)(27)(28).…”

“…General sleep disruption was also measured via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI; (58,64). Specific sleep-related parameters were also extracted from the PSQI by Supartini et al, (58), and Becker et al, (26). One study utilised actigraphy in combination with a sleep diary (60).…”

“…The SBQ-R is a valid and reliable measure that assesses past suicidal thoughts and behaviours and is predictive of these experiences in the future, with an overall score representing an individual's risk. This was combined with assessments of insomnia symptoms (21,46,47) and nightmares (21,26,47). None of the studies sought to determine which aspects of poor sleep, if any, distinguished between students who think about suicide but do not act on their thoughts, and those who have attempted suicide.Within a large sample of university students, Becker et al(26) aimed to examine 1) the overlap between general sleep disruption (assessed by the PSQI) and suicide risk status(assessed using the SBQ-R), 2) the role of depression, and 3) which specific components of sleep were uniquely associated with suicidal behaviours.…”

A Study on the Effect of Group Psychological Counseling on Improving College Students’ Social Adaptability

“…College students with similar psychological characteristics and similar interpersonal psychological problems can not only reduce social anxiety level and improve social adaptability through practice and exposure in groups, but also achieve self-growth in this process. [1]A large number of empirical studies at home and abroad have proved the effectiveness of group counseling, especially for those who have similar psychological distress and similar development problems, group counseling is of special efficacy and application value. [1]Group counseling is also known as group counseling, group counseling or group counseling.…”