Department of Family Medicine, Walter Sisulu University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa; and, Department of Family Medicine, Dora Nginza Provincial Hospital, Port Elizabeth.
S Afr Fam Pract (2004). 2021 Jan 29;63(1):e1-e9. doi: 10.4102/safp.v63i1.5195.
Suicidal behaviour amongst college students constitutes a significant social and public health problem globally. This study determined the prevalence and associated factors of suicidal ideation amongst students of higher education in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM), South Africa.
In this institution-based cross-sectional study, a multistage cluster sampling of 826 participants, drawn from a college in NMBM, was conducted from January to March 2020. Data were collected with a standardised self-administered questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with suicidal ideation.
Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 24 years, with a mean age of 20.49 years (standard deviation, 1.88 years). The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and plans in the preceding 12 months were 24.5% and 9.6%, respectively. The odds of suicidal ideation were higher in students who experienced bullying (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35-2.65), mental illness (AOR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.35-2.65), a history of sexual assault (AOR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.20-5.21) and experience of sexual assault by or to a close family member (AOR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.01-2.82). Underlying chronic illness was associated with a twofold risk for suicidal ideation in both sexes.
About a quarter of the students sampled at the college had experienced suicidal ideation and some had had suicidal plans in the preceding 12 months. Screening for the identified risk factors amongst the student population coupled with prompt interventions would mitigate the risk of suicide in the study population.
大学生自杀行为是全球范围内一个重大的社会和公共卫生问题。本研究旨在确定南非纳尔逊·曼德拉湾市（NMBM）高等教育学生中自杀意念的流行率及其相关因素。
本研究采用多阶段整群抽样方法，于 2020 年 1 月至 3 月期间从 NMBM 的一所学院中抽取了 826 名参与者进行了这项基于机构的横断面研究。研究使用标准化的自填式问卷收集数据。采用多变量逻辑回归分析来确定与自杀意念相关的因素。
参与者的年龄在 18 至 24 岁之间，平均年龄为 20.49 岁（标准差为 1.88 岁）。在过去 12 个月中，有自杀意念和计划的终生患病率分别为 24.5%和 9.6%。经历过欺凌（调整后的优势比 [OR]，1.89；95%置信区间 [CI]，1.35-2.65）、精神疾病（OR，1.89；95% CI，1.35-2.65）、性侵犯史（OR，2.50；95% CI，1.20-5.21）和与近亲发生性侵犯（OR，1.69；95% CI，1.01-2.82）的学生自杀意念的可能性更高。潜在的慢性疾病与两性自杀意念的风险增加两倍相关。
在该学院抽样的学生中，约有四分之一的学生有过自杀意念，有些学生在过去 12 个月中有过自杀计划。在学生群体中筛查出这些确定的风险因素，并及时进行干预，将减轻研究人群的自杀风险。
