Social support and suicidal ideation in college students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Mental Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Suicidal ideation is a significant concern among university students.
• Social support is recognized as a potential protective factor against negative mental health outcomes.
• Previous research indicates a complex relationship between social support and mental well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between social support and suicidal ideation in a university student population.
• To determine if social support independently predicts suicidal ideation beyond established psychological measures.
• To explore potential moderators, such as stress, in the social support-suicidal ideation relationship.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 305 university students (90 males, 215 females; ages 18-24).
• Utilized correlational analysis to examine the relationship between social support and suicidal ideation.
• Employed regression analysis to assess the unique contribution of social support, controlling for depression and hopelessness.

Main Results:

• A significant negative correlation (r = -0.38) was found between social support and suicidal ideation.
• Social support did not significantly predict variation in suicidal ideation scores beyond depression and hopelessness.
• The predictive power of social support on suicidal ideation may be influenced by other factors not fully captured.

Conclusions:

• While social support is correlated with lower suicidal ideation, its direct impact is nuanced.
• Depression and hopelessness appear to be stronger predictors of suicidal ideation in this student sample.
• Future research should explore specific facets of social support and its interaction with stress to better understand its protective role.