We already know how stressful college can be for young adults. Living apart from parents for the first time can be difficult. They also have to try and make new friends and find out where they “fit in.” Adapting to their new environment and adjusting to new demands at college can make first-year students especially feel alone in their new world. In a previous post I mentioned a reported decline in students' suicidal ideation, or thoughts of suicide. Although rates are on the decline, it is still important to study among this population so professionals can identify at-risk students before they actually commit any harm to themselves.
The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) reported that suicide is the third leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds. AAS also reported that rates of suicide are highest for older youth 20-24 with 12.5 per 100,000 deaths caused by suicide. These statistics were reported in 2010 but based off of 2007 data. No matter how large a college campus, the untimely death of a fellow student brings the campus together as friends, family, professors, and school officials ask, “what could we have done to prevent this?”
When we think of students who might be at risk of committing suicide, we might picture someone who is depressed and spends their time tucked away in their dorm room. Researchers from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have found that this may not be the case. Campus health services may need to go beyond typical prescreening solely for depression to predict the students at risk of suicide. Amelia Arria, Kevin O’Grady, Kimberly Caldeira, Kathryn Vincent, Holly Wilcox, and Eric Wish conducted a study using face-to-face interviews with 1,249 first year college students.
They found suicide ideation among first-year college students frequently occurs in students that do not otherwise have significant depressive symptoms. Of the first-year students interviewed, 6 percent had current suicide ideation and only 40 percent of these students were also classified as having depression. What this means is that campus health services is missing many students at risk of suicide if they are only relying on prescreening for depression to identify those at-risk students. Students who felt a lack of social support were also more likely to have thoughts of suicide. The researchers point out a notion of belongingness that is important for first-year students. These young adults need to feel they belong somewhere and that they “fit in” with others. That is why getting involved is important for first-year students, whether it is in a fraternity or sorority, sport, club, or other organization.
Relationships with parents were also found to be important. First-year students were at increased risk of suicide ideation if they had high levels of conflict with their parents, especially father-child conflict. Another risk factor identified was affective dysregulation, characterized by the inability of the young adult to control their emotions and to be prone to have negative feelings. The researchers found this to be linked to impulsiveness acts and aggression. These students were also more prone to alcohol use disorders. If you have thoughts of suicide, please contact crisis services as soon as possible. Also look at our Helpful Links to find other resources available for you at Penn State.
Crisis Services Mount Nittany Medical Center Emergency Department 911 or 1-800-643-5432