PTSD symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal risk among university students: The role of shame.

OBJECTIVE

Suicide is a major public health concern and the third leading cause of death for people aged 15-24. In recent years, suicidal ideation and behaviors among university students have increased. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a well-established factor related to suicidal ideation, behaviors, and risk across populations. It is important to understand cognitive-affective mechanisms related to the association of PTSD and suicidal ideation to inform evidence-based prevention and intervention efforts. Shame, defined as an intense negative emotion involving feelings of inferiority, powerlessness, and self-consciousness, has been identified as both a predictor and correlate of suicidal ideation and behaviors as well as PTSD symptom severity. To date, the literature exploring the role of shame in PTSD-suicide risk associations has been focused on military samples, and no studies have evaluated these associations among university students.

METHOD

The present study examined the association of PTSD symptomatology with suicidal ideation and suicide risk through shame among trauma-exposed university students. The sample included 1,497 university students (Mage = 21.3 years, SD = 4.35) who endorsed exposure to at least one potentially traumatic event.

RESULTS

Results indicated that shame exerted a significant indirect effect on the association of PTSD symptomatology with (a) suicidal ideation (β = .021, 95% CI [.015, .026]) and (b) suicide risk (β = .032, 95% CI [.022, .043]).

CONCLUSIONS

This research has the potential to advance university mental health outreach programs and policy by informing clinically relevant content for intervention programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).