Suicide Proneness in College Students: Relationships with Gender, Procrastination, and Achievement Motivation

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between 2 academic dispositions (i.e., procrastination and achievement motivation) and 2 indices of suicidal proneness in college women and men. The degree these 2 academic dispositions could predict unique variance in suicide proneness scores, above and beyond the influence of depression and self-esteem was also examined for each gender. Participants included 475 (336 women, 139 men) undergraduates from a southeastern university. For both genders, procrastination and achievement motivation were significantly correlated at the univarate level with the suicide proneness indices. However, for college women, but not men, procrastination significantly accounted for unique amounts of variance in both suicide indices above and beyond the influence of depression and self-esteem. Implications for suicide intervention efforts directed toward college women and men are offered.

Acknowledgments

Jeffrey Klibert is now affliated with Georgia Southern University.

Notes

Note. Correlations in bold represent relationships for college women. PS = Procrastination; MATS = Achievement Motivation; LAS-T = Total Suicide Proneness; LAS-Psy = Psychological Suicide Proneness; LAS-Phy = Physical Suicide Proneness; BDI = Depression; RSE = Self-Esteem.

**Correlation is significant at the .01 level.

Note. LAS-Psychological = Psychological Suicide Proneness; PS = Procrastination; MATS = Achievement Motivation; BDI = Depression; RSE = Self-Esteem.

**Significant at the .01 level.

Note. LAS-Physical = Physical Suicide Proneness; PS = Procrastination; MATS = Achievement Motivation; BDI = Depression; RSE = Self-Esteem.

**Significant at the .01 level.