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Campus student suicide rates: fact or artifact?
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, IL 60637.
Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior
|January 1, 1993
Summary
Campus student suicide rates appear lower than the general population, but study limitations raise concerns. Further research is needed to understand suicidal behavior in young adults on campus.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Campus student suicide is a significant public health concern.
- Previous research has yielded conflicting conclusions regarding student suicide rates compared to the general population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and analyze existing English-language studies on campus student suicides.
- To identify methodological limitations in current research and propose improvements for future studies.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of English-language studies reporting original data on campus student suicides.
- Analysis of studies with sufficient demographic data to calculate Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR) or crude suicide rates.
- Categorization of studies into single-site and multiple-site collaborative studies.
Main Results:
- Only 4 single-site studies indicated higher suicide rates among campus students compared to comparable populations.
- Multiple-site collaborative studies in the U.S. since 1960 suggest significantly lower suicide rates in campus students.
- Methodological deficiencies in existing studies may compromise the reliability of these findings.
Conclusions:
- While available data suggest lower suicide rates among campus students, methodological issues necessitate caution.
- Future research should employ robust methodologies to accurately assess and understand suicidal behavior in late adolescents and young adults in educational settings.
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