College Student-Athlete Suicide: A Systematic Review

Suicide rates continue to rise, particularly among young adults, with college student-athletes representing a specific subgroup of concern. The aim of this systematic review was to clarify the individual and environmental risk factors for suicide specific to U.S. college student-athletes.

Databases searched included the State University of New York (SUNY) libraries, Google Scholar, Web of Science, PsychINFO, Semantic Scholar, and PubMed. No date restrictions were applied, resulting in 112 articles and reports included in this review. Studies examining U.S. student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics within the context of suicide, including ideation, actions, or attempts, met the inclusion criteria for this thematic review. The PRISMA framework guided the literature selection and content review.

Risk factors included the convergence of academic and athletic pressure, toxic team culture, barriers to accessing services, complexities of the athlete identity, and experiences of injury.

Given these unique risk factors, approaches to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention for U.S. college student-athletes should include mandated suicide training for college athletic department personnel, routine mental health screening for athletes, improved access to mental health services, and the implementation of collaborative multidisciplinary care.