The Deadly Embrace:

The epidemiology of and clinical experience with college students who make suicide attempts converge upon a glaring conclusion: that suicidal students are now paying a high price for experimentation with alcohol and other intoxicating substances. A significant proportion of suicidal students are abusers of psychoactive substances. Their numbers may be small in terms of total college and university populations, but their personal sacrifice and group impact is great. The first section of this chapter reviews the epidemiology of college student suicide and substance use disorder. One objective of the review is to help college clinicians and administrators examine the suicide-substance use relationship from multiple frames of reference. Data from a new survey of the relationship between substance use and suicidality in students are presented. The second section introduces selected issues on the important topic of substance use and suicide prevention. The third section deals with specific clinical aspects of the student with suicidal thinking and the therapy of the post-suicide attempter who uses or has intoxicating substances.     

Faculty Views of Student Evaluation of College Teaching

The literature abounds with psychometric studies of course evaluation measures and articles debating the merits of student ratings of instruction, but little research has focused on faculty perceptions of this procedure. In the present study faculty perceptions are explored at a teachers' college where evaluation is carried out annually on a sample of courses. The sample includes 101 instructors who completed the research questionnaire. Faculty attitudes reflected a broad range of responses towards validity of student ratings, and their usefulness for improving instruction. Although overall attitudes were mildly positive, few instructors reported changing instruction as a result of student ratings. Moreover, few supported sending evaluation results directly to college administrators or publishing them for student consumption.     

Stress and the higher education student: a critical review of the literature

The available research indicates that the prevalence of stress is increasing among students studying in higher education. Issues such as student retention and student progression are becoming increasingly important for all universities. There are a significant number of studies that have examined stress and this paper critically reviews that research and identifies several issues that as yet have not been explored. The paper also highlights a number of key weaknesses in the current literature base. In previous studies there has been a focus on a quantitative approach, and research studies have been restricted to using as subjects individuals from a narrow range of disciplines. It is also suggested that there is a need to undertake longitudinal research to investigate individuals' stress experiences during the period they study at university.     

大学生自杀现象心理分析

自杀是指个体蓄意或自愿采取各种手段结束自己生命的行为。目前,大学生自杀已成为较为突出的问题。大学生自杀一般要经过自杀动机形成、心理矛盾冲突、自杀者平静三个阶段。大学生的自杀主要与自身人格缺陷、压力、挫折等心理因素有关。针对大学生的自杀,我们应采取加强大学生心理健康教育、加强精神文明建设、对大学生进行挫折承受力的培养和设立心理咨询机构等策略进行预防。     

Does a Nexus Exist Between the Work of Administrators and Student Outcomes in Higher Education?: An Answer from a Systematic Review of Research

Journal articles within the field of higher education that focus on college and university administrators, have for the most part, examined topics such as leadership, governance, and institutional effectiveness. Recently, internal and external critics have questioned the ability of college and universities to impact educational outcomes, more specifically student outcomes. In this regard, this study sought to examine how the work of administrators in higher education affects student outcomes. From a systematic review of 10 years of research studies on higher education that focus on administrators as a unit of analysis in higher education, the researchers found that the nexus between the work of administrators and student outcomes was nascent.     

Conclusions and Recommendations:

This chapter provides a brief account of some of the this book, ending with our quite specific recommendations for the prevention of college student suicide. First, the most salient risk factors are noted. Second, administrative and legal concerns are summarized. Third, we emphasize the need for a caring campus community as the foundation for our recommendations.     

在校大学生自杀的法律责任分析

近年来,在校大学生自杀现象正呈逐年上升趋势。大学生自杀在给家庭带来无尽伤痛的同时,也对高校的学生管理工作提出了新的挑战。大学生自杀法律责任的认定,一直是社会争论的焦点问题之一。本文在对大学生自杀的原因进行逐一分析的基础上,列出了不同情形下高校应承担的法律责任,提出高校对大学生自杀的预防和处理的原则和措施。     

Differences in Suicidal Experiences of Male and Female Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Differences in the suicidal experiences of males and females and of undergraduate and graduate students have not been thoroughly explored. Furthermore, given the changing dynamics of college student suicidality and the challenges of suicide prevention, it is important to continue updating the research in this area. This article presents findings from a 2006 national survey with responses from over 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students at 70 colleges and universities. Gender and undergraduate versus graduate student differences were found in suicidal thoughts and behaviors, related experiences such as professional and informal help-seeking during a suicidal crisis, events that precipitated and contributed to the suicidal crisis, and factors that protected against attempting suicide. Among the many findings, some are consistent with previous research, some are unexpected, and some have not previously been studied. The results of this survey have implications for targeting specific interventions to better meet the needs of undergraduate and graduate student males and females.     

Suicide Prevention Program on a Diverse College Campus: Examining the Effectiveness of a Peer-to-Peer Model

With the high prevalence of college students experiencing psychological distress, it is becoming increasingly important to provide prevention and early intervention programs in addition to traditional psychological counseling services. This study examined the effectiveness of a suicide prevention program led by peer educators/trainers on a diverse college campus. Twenty-five suicide prevention workshops were conducted with 479 attendees. Preworkshop and postworkshop assessments revealed significant improvements in participants’ knowledge of suicide and resources. Recommendations for campus-wide suicide prevention efforts using diverse peer educators that reflect the students’ demographic and cultural background, recruitment strategies, and utilization of outreach programming in suicide prevention.     

The Changing Student Culture:

A review of the literature on the values, behaviors, and attitudes which college students bring to institutions of higher education, focusing particularly on how these have changed across generations of students. Changes in career, social and political values are discussed, as well as the personal behaviors which have been investigated in studies of academic honesty, alcohol and other drug use, suicide, and eating disorders. Attitudes and behaviors about sexuality, interpersonal violence and multicultural differences are also reviewed. Some implications which the current student culture creates for counselors and student personnel administrators are identified and discussed.     

School psychologists and suicide risk assessment: Role perception and competency

As the second leading cause of death for adolescents, suicide is a major concern for school personnel. School psychologists' training in mental health makes them well-positioned to lead in suicide prevention efforts; however, studies have shown a lack of preparedness in crisis intervention and, more specifically, suicide risk assessment. This study surveyed practicing school psychologists (N = 92) to explore their perception of both their role and competency in suicide risk assessment. Suicide risk assessment was defined as a broad term pertaining to any measures taken in suicide prevention, intervention, or postvention. The majority of school psychologists reported having a primary role at the tertiary level (i.e., intervening with a student identified as needing help). Participants indicated lacking adequate graduate preparation; however, most participants were confident in their knowledge of suicide and suicide risk assessment and were comfortable identifying and intervening with a student who is suicidal. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.     

The Epidemiology of Suicide Among Students at Colleges and Universities in the United States

All published studies and selected unpublished reports on the incidence of suicide among students at colleges and universities in the United States are reviewed. Compared with studies relying upon official (i.e., governmental) records of suicide, studies relying on informal sources are found to underestimate the incidence of student suicide by about 30 percent. Both sources of data, however, indicate that the incidence of student suicide is significantly and dramatically lower (about 46 percent) than that of non-students. For female students it is only marginally lower (about 91 percent). Institutional size and prestige are not significantly related to the incidence of student suicide, nor is class standing. The presence of psychosis is the most discriminating individual difference variable, increasing the risk of suicide by a factor of 200 over baseline rates in the student population. Contact with campus mental health services is also associated with a significant (six fold) increase in risk for suicide. Depression is upiquitous and signals only a doubling of risk for suicide among students. Method of suicide is a particularly noteworthy variable. Most importantly, male students are half as likely as males generally to employ the most common means of suicide, firearms. The same trend is found for female students. There is suggestive evidence that student suicides occur more frequently than would be expected during the months of September, January and March. The incidence of student suicide is significantly elevated during weekdays (Monday-Thursday. Student suicide occurs disproportionately often during the midnight to 6:00am period, but this finding is only suggestive and may not be a contrast with non-student suicides. The implication of these findings for the prevention of student suicide are briefly discussed. Suggestions for further epidemiologic studies of student suicide are made.     

Inclusion in Physical Education: Teacher Attitudes and Student Experiences. A Systematic Review

This is a systematic review article of 27 studies on what existing research tells us about the experience (or lack of experience) of inclusion in Physical Education (PE) among disabled students, which localised factors are promoting or hampering inclusion in PE and to what extent attitudes are decisive in these localised processes. Seventeen studies examined teachers’ attitudes and 10 studies examined students’ experiences. The analysis follows the guidelines recommended by Harden and colleagues for ‘view-studies’; systematic reviews based on both qualitative and quantitative studies. The main findings reveal that students with disabilities experience exclusion and a lack of belonging in PE, but in some of the most recent articles we find students with disabilities who ‘love PE’. PE teachers share the normative goal of inclusion but perceive it as impossible to achieve due to a lack of competence and a lack of resources, but mostly due to the presupposition of the constructed ‘normate’ PE student.     

The Counselor's Assessment and Intervention with the Suicidal Student

This paper summarizes the major demographic and dynamic risk factors associated with suicide in terms of using this information to determine whether or not the college student needs to be hospitalized. If the decision is made not to hospitalize, an ecological approach to suicide prevention is suggested for both initial stabilization of the student, and as a problem solving strategy to address those issues that precipitated the student's suicidal inclination.     

Allan Horwitz and Jerome Wakefield (2007). The Loss of Sadness: How Psychiatry Transformed Normal Sorrow Into Depressive Disorder

Although there is a plethora of data and applied research findings on learning disabled children in the literature, there still remains a paucity of information about learning disabled college students (adults) in that same literature. This article reviews the existing literature on programmatic approaches to assisting learning disabled college students, describes the general demography of the learning disabled adult student, and outlines a model program based on that demography for effectively assisting this population. A unique program variable, that of a mental health counseling component, is described in some detail.     

Evidenced Based Practices that Promote Transition to Postsecondary Education: Listening to a Decade of Expert Voices

As increasing numbers of students with disabilities access postsecondary education, research studies and literature reviews have investigated the needs of these students who chose to pursue postsecondary education. These articles included studies that (a) asked students with disabilities to identify needs and (b) summarized needs in literature reviews about students with disabilities in postsecondary education. This article summarizes needs and recommendations from college students with disabilities and authors who reviewed related literature from 1995–2006. The summary includes needs in five areas: self-determination, social skills, academic preparation, accommodations, and assistive technology (AT). Each of these areas of need is described and recommendations for practice are discussed. The purpose of this article is to identify a set of evidence-based transition practices that will address these needs and increase the likelihood of success for students who enroll in postsecondary education institutions.     

Technology-supported Learning in Secondary and Undergraduate Biological Education: Observations from Literature Review

We conducted a literature review of using educational technology in biology learning from 2001 to 2010. A total of 36 empirical articles were included for review. Based upon the content analyses of these studies, such as technologies utilized, student sample, biological topics involved, the research purpose, and methodology, the following observations were revealed. Among the different types of technologies, the majority of studies utilized simulations or visualization tools. Genetics and molecular biology were the most popular biological topics. Most studies examined students’ conceptual outcomes, fewer studies examined affective outcomes, and a few studies examined higher-order skills. Also a small number of studies observed students’ learning processes. Beyond simply the comparison for traditional teaching versus technology-assisted learning, some studies emphasized comparing different technologies or different representations. This review also suggested some future research directions. For example, more studies should use technologies for interdisciplinary training and for fostering problem-solving skills.     

大学生自杀的归因分析与防范

大学生自杀是家庭、社会的极大损失,大学生自杀现象已引起社会的广泛关注.大学生自杀行为的发生,有其个体心理、学校教育、社会、家庭各个层面的原因,是多种因素共同作用的结果.对大学自杀行为进行归因分析,并采取具体的防范对策,是当前我国高等院校应该高度重视的问题.     

One-to-One Technology in K–12 Classrooms: A Review of the Literature From 2004 Through 2014

This literature review examined empirical research conducted between 2004 and 2014 regarding 1:1 technologies in K–12 educational settings. Our overarching research question was: What does research tell us about 1:1 technology in K–12 classrooms? We used the constant-comparative method to analyze, code, and induce themes from 46 relevant articles. Findings showed that the studies selected for analyses primarily concentrated on the following themes: effects on student achievement, changes to the classroom environment, classroom uses, effects on learner motivation and engagement, and challenges to classroom integration. In this article, we define each of these themes, describe the implications of the use of technologies on a 1:1 basis in classrooms, and offer suggestions for future research.     

Academic Fatalism: Applying Durkheim’s Fatalistic Suicide Typology to Student Drop-Out and the Climate of Higher Education

Student drop-out remains a critical issue facing educational professionals. For higher education, the vast research in the past 40 years has been influenced by the work of Tinto and his model of student persistence. In this model are several elements that have proven to sharpen the focus of student drop-out research such as the concept of integration. The philosophical foundation for these concepts stems from Durkheim’s work on suicide. Specifically, Tinto’s employs Durkheim’s “egotistical” suicide type as an analogy for student departure while attributing students’ departure as a decision to separate themselves from the academic community. However; assigning causation of student departure to students’ decisions stands in stark contrast to the theoretical underpinnings of Durkheim’s work. Durkheim believed that certain social tendencies cause suicides. If student drop-out is to be typified by a certain Durkheimian suicide “type,” then specific social facts must exist in those societies. In this article, student departure in higher education will be examined using Durkheim’s theory of suicide complemented with Bourdieu’s theory of symbolic violence. Egotistical suicide will then be re-examined as an analogy for student departure and the Durkheimian suicide “fatalistic” will be presented as suitable analogy for student departure.