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All published studies and selected unpublished reports on the incidence of suicide among students at colleges and universities in the United States are reviewed.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.     

辅导员在大学生自杀防控中的关键角色及功能

大学生自杀率呈现出不断上升的趋势,已开始对平安校园、社会主义和谐社会建设构成了严重的威胁。构建有效的大学生自杀防控机制,已成为当代的迫切需要。辅导员作为高校专职学生工作人员,应充分发挥其在学生工作中的特殊作用。依据大学生自杀的特点和原因,确定辅导员在大学生自杀防控中的关键角色及其功能,有利于最大限度地降低大学生自杀行为的发生。     

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.     

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.     

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。     

Unrealistic Expectations for Suicide Prevention: Implications for Counseling Centers

Counseling centers are under intense pressure to prevent student suicide. When a student dies by suicide, the counseling center practitioner may be held liable as though all such deaths are ultimately preventable. Expectations that suicide can be prevented 100% of the time conflict with the actual capabilities of treatment providers and disregard their limited power to control the behavior of others. These expectations also fail to recognize that mental health professionals’ ability to accurately predict suicide is no better than chance. Nonetheless, the unattainable demands placed on clinicians do not originate with higher education but from the treatment community itself. Some of the consequences of these high expectations regarding the behavior of clinicians are reviewed. A plea is made for the treatment community to adopt more reasonable expectations internally and to promote them outwardly among stakeholders.     

College Student Suicide

This article reviews the topic of college student suicide. Empirical and theoretical studies are reviewed. The research is presented in distinct sections. First, we present background information on college student suicide emphasized in a select number of cited literature reviews, followed by a review of a select number of key quantitative studies aimed at investigating risk factors and predictors of suicide among the college student population. Next, we discuss a select number of articles offering suggestions for the treatment and prevention of suicide based on the literature, including those articles that specifically explain developed prevention programs. Finally, obstacles to prevention are examined. Recommendations and future directions for research and practice are examined, which are particularly significant in light of tragic events on many different college campuses in recent years.     

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:

The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for training the residence hall RA as a suicide interventionist. It is important that the RA have the necessary information and skills to recognize, evaluate and refer students who are at risk for taking their own lives. In addition, this article discusses what the RA must known in order to assist the survivors of unsuccessful suicide attempts or those who are left after a completed suicide. As an itnerventionist, the RA is not a counselor or therapist but someone who is able to assist the suicidal student in securing professional assistance and being of support during the process of therapy.     

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.     

Suicide Prevention with Diverse College Students

Because of a dearth of experience in preventing suicide in diverse student populations, Pace University developed a multicultural suicide prevention kit. This article details the process used to develop the kit. The rationale for approaching suicide prevention in a culturally competent manner is presented, and methods used to gain culture-specific phenomena that impact the mental health of diverse students are discussed. It is hoped this kit will encourage other colleges and universities to enhance their own suicide prevention efforts.     

A comparative study of mental health and wellbeing among UK students on professional degree programmes

ABSTRACT

Despite elevated rates of suicide and evidence of poor mental health among medical professionals, there is a paucity of research in the UK into the mental health of students destined for these careers. This study estimated and compared the prevalence of mental ill-health in students studying veterinary medicine, medicine, dentistry and pharmacy in the United Kingdom. A group of law students was also included, who, although subject to similar stressors as undergraduates, do not go on to share a heightened risk of suicide as professionals. A total of 1744 respondents completed a questionnaire with validated measures to assess wellbeing, psychological distress, depression and suicidal ideation and attempts. Results indicated that law students experienced the poorest mental health of the student groups studied. Wellbeing was highest among veterinary and medical students. However, the medical students were the most likely to have previously attempted suicide. These findings highlight the importance of directly comparing student groups and of appropriately supporting students as they progress through training and into the professions.     

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。     

研究生自杀案件中高校责任认定探析

大学生,尤其是研究生,是自杀的高危人群。高校研究生自杀,学校是否承担法律责任,目前,很多高校都避开这个问题,致使问题不能妥善解决。文章从对研究生自杀的原因分析入手,通过对高校和学生法律关系的梳理,进而对高校在研究生自杀案件中的责任认定问题进行分析,进一步提出要建立高校学生自杀事故归责体系,进而规范高校学生自杀案件的处理。     

大学生自杀态度与心理健康、人格特征关系分析

通过对河南科技学院765名学生进行问卷调查表明,自杀态度和心理健康、人格特征具有较为密切的关系。在预防学生自杀和对学生进行自杀态度教育时,应当将这些因素考虑在内,重点对倔强、适应性差、情绪不稳定、易焦虑、紧张、内向及表现出抑郁、偏执、精神病性特征的心理健康水平较低者进行自杀态度教育,并采取措施重点关注这类学生,成功预防这类学生自杀。     

襄樊高职大学生独生子女与否与心理抑郁和自杀的关系探索

目的进一步加强学生心理素质教育。方法对襄樊职业技术学院2007级大学生316名大学生（男64人、女252人）,其中独生子女145人,其它171人,进行匿名性的自编问卷调查,然后进行χ^2检验分析。结果独生子女与非独生子女两类学生之间心理抑郁与心理健康等级无统计学差别（P〉0．05）;抑郁原因有较大的统计学上的差别（P〈0．01）,独生子女前四位原因为升学就业压力、恋爱情感矛盾、人际关系孤独与教书不育人;非独生子女为升学就业压力、教书不育人、人际关系孤独与经济困窘;心理抑郁造成自杀的因素具有相似的排序,心理抑郁是可能自杀的首要因素,有一定的统计学的差别（P〈0．05）;心理应激强度过大是自杀时可能的心理状态的首要因素,其次是两周来严重抑郁,有明显的统计学的差别（P〈0．01）;相似的自杀后的危害后果,以个人的所谓“仇人”作为侵犯对象,无统计学的差别（P〉0．05）。结论对大学生进行心理健康教育、关注抑郁、预防自杀势在必行。     

A case for routine involvement of threat assessment and management teams with college students at risk for suicide

ABSTRACT

Institutions of higher education and their counseling centers are under intense pressure to prevent student suicide. This article proposes that routinely using threat assessment and management teams in working with suicidal students would add value to existing suicide prevention efforts. The unique features of threat assessment and management provide several advantages over traditional clinical intervention. First and foremost, the majority of students who die of suicide do not seek services from campus counseling centers. These students may, nonetheless, come to the attention of campus constituents in a number of ways and may readily be referred to a threat assessment and management team. For students who are clients of the counseling center, a campus should still activate a threat assessment and management process. In this way, threat assessment and management may be useful for students who refuse to seek help as well as in providing assistance when students are engaged in treatment. Nonetheless, higher education in general and counseling centers in particular have not engaged in a standard practice of involving threat assessment and management teams with students who present at risk for suicide. Limitations to clinical approaches for suicide prevention are reviewed in contrast with the complementary advantages of threat assessment and management as applied to suicidal students. Regularly including threat assessment and management in working with suicidal students in higher education may provide synergy in improving the likelihood of desirable outcomes in preventing suicides.     

International,high‐ability adventures: An interview with miraca gross

Research into child and youth suicide concludes that more data are needed from families directly involved in the tragedy. This article presents the insights of eight bereaved families, each of whom experienced the suicide of an adolescent son. Suicidal behavior of friends, death of a family member, personal crises and internalized anxieties were significant factors for the predominantly honor student victims. Implications are included for educational and medical professionals.     

The Impact of Client Suicide in Counselor Training: Implications for Counselor Education and Supervision

The impact of client suicide on student counselors has potentially severe and long-term consequences. This article presents recommendations for addressing the needs of students and discusses implications for counselor education.     

Countering Cultural Myths to Help Prevent College Student Suicide

This chapter explicates three prevalent and insidious morbidity-inducing cultural myths and suggests how they may be countered in terms of individual and group approaches to help prevent college student suicide. These myths are the stigmatizing of psychologically troubled persons and mental health services, the confusion of machismo with genuine masculinity, and the confusion of depression with natural sadness. Udnerstanding these myths and their collective potentiation of suicidal behavior may help to explain epidemiologic findings, particularly the phenomenal increase in recent decades of young male suicide, and to design preventive methods.