Changes in the suicide risk behaviors of American college students over time: An analysis of three universities

Introduction: Suicide-related behaviors are prevalent among college students, and several mental health problems associated with increased suicide risk have increased over time. Furthermore, notable cultural events (e.g., political changes, COVID-19) have occurred in the past decade, which likely impact trends in suicide-related behaviors. The current study examined how the prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal ideation (SI), and suicide attempts has changed from 2012 to 2022 across three different universities. Method: Archival datasets from multiple years of college student survey data were compiled, and different measures of NSSI, SI, and suicide attempts were dichotomized to assess prevalence. Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were used to identify changes in suicide-related behaviors across time. Results: Results indicated significant increases in the prevalence of most behaviors across each university, with most increases occurring after 2018. Despite sharing a general trend of increased suicide-related behaviors, each university differed considerably in their respective trends between various timepoints, suggesting that unique factors may differentially contribute to growing risk among college students. Conclusion: Overall, the current study identifies increasing trends in suicide-related behaviors over the past decade and highlights the value of investigating these behaviors at the university level. Keywords: clinical; epidemiologic studies; nonsuicidal self-injury; psychology; self-injurious behavior; student health services; suicidal ideation; suicide attempt.