Journal
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
Volume 186, Issue -, Pages 254-260Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.07.030
Keywords
College student; Suicide attempt; Suicide plan; Grade point average; Academic performance
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Funding
- Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)
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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.
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