Abstract
Objective
Researchers explored the link between individual trauma history, lifetime suicide risk, and reporting of suicidal ideation in undergraduate students.
Participants
A sample of 372 undergraduate students (130 males and 242 females) at two institutions completed measures of their personal trauma histories and suicidality in the Fall of 2017.
Methods
Categories of suicidality from the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire were reported, along with odds ratios from multivariate associations of traumatic events with lifetime suicidality.
Results
Suicidality is prevalent in college students. Traumas, such as rape, which are endemic to the college experience are significant risk factors for suicidality. Students reported reaching out for help when suicidal.
Conclusions
Awareness of trauma history will give a more comprehensive understanding of suicide risk among college students. Additionally, suicide safety programs may consider a broad scope for campus preparedness in order to support the large number of students with suicidal ideation that seek help.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Michael Porter for his ears and eyes.
Conflict of interest disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. They also confirm that this study was separately approved by the Institutional Review Boards of both Georgia State University and University of North Georgia, and that confidentiality of all participants was maintained. Furthermore, this research was not funded.
Funding
No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.