Factors associated with suicide risk and attempts in healthcare students: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction Suicide deaths in young people have been increasing in recent decades and are considered a major public health problem worldwide, being a partially preventable event. The prevalence of suicidal ideation is high among university students, especially in health careers. The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of high suicidal risk in this specific group and to identify associated factors, aiming to provide empirical evidence for the construction of effective suicide prevention strategies. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted based on an online survey directed to healthcare students near the end of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic to learn about the frequency of suicidal risk and its associated factors. The sample consisted of 477 students (70.8% female, mean age 21.7 ± 2.5 years) from eight healthcare majors. The data were collected in January 2021. Results 22.6% of the young people reported a high suicide risk on the Okasha scale, and 3.4% made a suicide attempt in the previous year. Factors associated with high suicidal risk were having a non-heterosexual orientation, an irregular academic trajectory, experiences of physical and/or psychological violence, higher levels of depressive and anxious symptomatology, as well as lower levels of social support from friends and family. Conclusions Suicide risk and attempt levels are high in this group of students, and there is a group of factors that could guide more effective actions, such as support for higher-risk groups and screening to identify and provide support to young people at high suicidal risk and with mental health conditions.