The Association of Suicidal Ideation With Family Characteristics and Social Support of the First Batch of Students Returning to a College During the COVID-19 Epidemic Period: A Cross Sectional Study in China

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of suicidal ideation among the first batch of students returning to a college during the COVID-19 epidemic, and to explore the correlation of suicidal ideation with family characteristics and social support.Methods: A cluster sampling survey with a self-designed questionnaire was conducted among the first batch of students returning to a college in Wuhu, China. The Positive and Negative Suicidal ideation (PANSI) and Social Support Scale (SSRS) were used to define students' suicidal ideation and social support, respectively. The influence of family characteristics and social support on the students' suicidal ideation was investigated using multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis.Results: Two thousand seven hundred valid questionnaires were collected, including 673 males (24.9%) and 2,027 females (75.1%), in this study. A total of 146 students (5.4%) showed suicidal ideation. Male respondents reported higher rates (7.9%) than females (4.6%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a higher risk level of residence before returning to school and lower objective support were the risk factors for suicidal ideation in males. In contrast, a higher level of maternal education, a poorer relationship with the mother, and lower scores for subjective support and support availability had significant effects on females' suicidal ideation.Limitations: This is a cross-sectional study, and lacks comparison to the time point unaffected by COVID-19. Moreover, it was limited by COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control restrictions, and the differences in returning to school in different regions. Only one college was investigated in this study, and all of the respondents were sophomores, so there may be some limitations in the representativeness of the sample and extrapolation of the results.Conclusion: Family characteristics and social support have had an important influence on suicidal ideation among students returning to school during the COVID-19 epidemic. Some gender differences were identified. Targeted interventions are needed for early prevention and control.

Longitudinal associations between multiple mental health problems and suicidal ideation among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Furthermore, we found different effects of sex on the cumulative risk model. Males reported a higher rate of SIs than females during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is in agreement with previous studies ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Zhou et al, 2021 ). In addition, relative to females, males with more than two mental risks were susceptible to sharply increased SIs during the COVID-19 outbreak.…”

“…Furthermore, significant sex differences in SIs have been reported ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Zhou et al, 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2022 ). The prevalence of SIs in females (3.6%) was higher than the prevalence of SIs in males (2.4%) during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Zhu et al, 2022 ), while another study suggested that the prevalence of SIs in males (7.9%) was higher than the prevalence of SIs in females [4.6%] ( Chen et al, 2021 ). In addition, distinct risk factors for SIs were also confirmed in previous studies ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2022 ).…”

“…The prevalence of SIs in females (3.6%) was higher than the prevalence of SIs in males (2.4%) during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Zhu et al, 2022 ), while another study suggested that the prevalence of SIs in males (7.9%) was higher than the prevalence of SIs in females [4.6%] ( Chen et al, 2021 ). In addition, distinct risk factors for SIs were also confirmed in previous studies ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Zhu et al, 2022 ). Based on the above studies, we speculated that significant sex differences might exist with respect to the total accumulation of mental health problems and SIs.…”

“Effect of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic outbreak on the emergency department admission for an acute psychiatric condition”

“…Patients with pre-existing bipolar disorders, facilitated by isolation or loss of reference points caused by the reduction of community care activities, may have manifested imbalances and increased suicidal ideation ( Gunnell et al, 2020 ; Vindegaard and Benros, 2020 ). The occurrence of self-injurious urges may also have occurred in previously unknown patients due mainly to the side effects of the pandemic on work and family status ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Gunnell et al, 2020 ). As previous research after other human catastrophes has shown, job loss and the inability to plan for the future can cause non-negligible long-term effects on mental health and could explain the increasing trends observed in our study ( Holland et al, 2021 ).…”

The Impact of Gender and Age Differences and Infectious Disease Symptoms on Psychological Distress in Quarantined Asymptomatic or Mildly Ill COVID-19 Patients in Japan

“…In Italy, men had an increased perception of loneliness compared to women during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown compared to before it [ 42 ]. Moreover, there are some studies which showed that rates of suicidal ideation in men were higher than in women [ 43 , 44 , 45 ]. These findings might support the results of this study.…”