The Relationship Between Academic Stress and Student Suicide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Education

Background:

• Academic stress is a growing concern linked to student well-being.
• Evidence suggests a potential risk factor for suicidal behavior across educational levels.
• This review synthesizes research on academic stress and suicide-related outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the evidence associating academic stress with suicidal ideation and behavior.
• To synthesize findings from quantitative studies on student populations.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of six major databases (PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Library) until May 2025.
• Inclusion of 10 cross-sectional studies measuring academic stress and suicide-related outcomes (ideation, attempts) in adolescent/young adult students.
• Meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4.1 with random-effects models to calculate pooled mean differences and odds ratios; risk of bias assessed with AXIS tool.

Main Results:

• Pooled odds ratios for suicidal ideation (OR=0.01) and suicide attempts (OR=0.00) were statistically significant, indicating a correlation with increased academic stress (p<0.0001).
• No significant differences in academic stress or suicidal ideation were found between genders in continuous outcome models.
• High heterogeneity (I²>98%) was observed in most pooled analyses, highlighting significant variability across studies.

Conclusions:

• Academic stress shows a strong association with suicidal ideation and attempts when viewed as dichotomous outcomes.
• The observed associations may be confounded by variations in measurement tools, lack of adjustment for confounders, and methodological differences.
• Further research with standardized methodologies is needed to clarify the relationship between academic stress and student suicidality.