Risk Suicide, Anxiety, and Coping Strategies

Abstract

In this paper, we sought to examine the levels of suicidal risk and anxiety, as well as the coping strategies used in a sample of 154 Spanish university students, most of them first-year students, during the situation of confinement and the pandemic. After approval by the Ethics Committee, instruments for the evaluation of these constructs were administered. An ex post facto design was used. A high level of suicide risk was not found in the sample. Statistically significant differences were found in the levels of suicidal risk and anxiety according to gender, with higher scores in both variables for women. Likewise, the coping strategies of self-criticism and social withdrawal show direct associations with the levels of suicidal risk. We conclude by pointing out the relevance of the data obtained for a more effective design of psychoeducational interventions to face these public health problems with the training of effective coping strategies.