The impact of lifetime suicidality on academic performance in college freshmen

JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS

卷:186

Article

Mortier, P.¹  Demyttenaere, K.¹  Auerbach, R. P.²  Green, J. G.⁴  Kessler, R. C.⁵  Kiekens, G.¹  Nock, M. K.³  Bruffaerts, R.¹ 

[1] KU Leuven Univ, Dept Neurosci, Res Grp Psychiat, Leuven, Belgium

[2] Harvard Univ, McLean Hosp, Sch Med, Ctr Depress Anxiety & Stress Res, Belmont, MA USA

[3] Harvard Univ, Dept Psychol, Boston, MA 02115 USA

[4] Boston Univ, Sch Educ, Boston, MA 02215 USA

[5] Harvard Univ, Dept Hlth Care Policy, Harvard Med Sch, Boston, MA 02115 USA

关键词: College student;    Suicide attempt;    Suicide plan;    Grade point average;    Academic performance;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jad.2015.07.030

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Background: While suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) among college students are common, the associations between STB and academic performance are not well understood. Methods: As part of the World Mental Health Surveys International College Student project, web based self reported STB of KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium) incoming freshmen (N=4921; response rare = 65.4%) was collected, as well as academic year percentage (AYP), and the departments to which students belong. Single- and multilevel multivariate analyses were conducted, adjusted for gender, age, parental educational level, and comorbid lifetime emotional problems. Results: Lifetime suicide plan and attempt upon college entrance were associated with significant decreases in AYP (3.6% and 7.9%, respectively). A significant interaction was found with average departmental AYP, with STB more strongly associated with reduced AYP in departments with lower than higher average AYP. Limitations: Limited sample size precluded further investigation of interactions between department-level and student-level variables. No information was available on freshman secondary school academic performance. Conclusions: Lifetime STB has a strong negative association with academic performance in college. Our study suggests a potential role for the college environment as target for treatment and prevention interventions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free