A recent study found that lack of a social life, childhood or adolescent exposure to domestic violence and symptoms of depression are major factors that can lead to suicidal thoughts in college students.
The study, which was conducted at Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland, College Park, relied on interviews with 1,253 college students starting in 2004 until their graduation in 2008.
The results of the study, funded by the National Institute of Health and American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, showed that an estimated 12 percent of those interviewed had thoughts about suicide at some point during their college careers, said Kimberly Caldeira, assistant director in the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland, College Park. Of those individuals, 25 percent thought about it more than once, and 0.9 percent of students had planned to commit or actually attempt suicide.
The researchers' conclusion was that the factors that contributed to persistent thoughts of suicide included low social support, childhood or adolescent exposure to domestic violence, maternal depression and high self-reported depressive symptoms.
The study's results will help researchers better identify college students at high risk for suicide, which, Caldeira said, takes the lives of 1,100 American college students each year.
"Suicide among college students and college-age young adults is the second-leading cause of death," Caldeira said. "This is a study of suicide ideation so it's definitely an important piece of the puzzle."
In the past, the University has taken part in Healthy Minds surveys to evaluate the condition of students' mental health, said Russ Federman, director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Student Health.
A sample of 523 University students in 2009 found that 15 percent met the criteria for moderate depression, 4 percent for moderate to severe depression and 1 percent for severe depression, Federman said.
The University's suicide rate, however, is one-third that of the national average, Federman said.
During the last 10 years, four suicides have occurred at the University, while most schools of similar size would expect to see 13-15 suicides during the same period, he said.
"If you are concerned about a friend, express this concern to them. If you observe a friend or hallmate resisting help, talk to an RA," he said, adding that 85 percent of people who commit suicide are not in treatment at the time.
"When students or people seek help, usually, they are helped," he said. "The outcome is usually positive"
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