Impact of perceived social support on suicidal ideation among students at Ain Shams University

Background Suicide is a significant public health issue that has long-term impacts on individuals, families, and communities. Perceived social support can reduce the frequency of suicidal ideation (SI), which is an important precursor to later attempted and completed suicide. The present study aimed to measure the prevalence of SI and perceived social support among students at Ain Shams University, compare SI and perceived social support among medical and non-medical students, and identify the factors affecting SI. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 745 students recruited from two medical and two non-medical faculties at Ain Shams University. The data was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire, including socio-demographic characteristics, family relationships, daily habits, the Suicidal Ideation Scale (SIS), and the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3). Results The mean age of participants was 20.1 ± 1.4, (58.1%) were females, and (7.2%) were cigarette smokers. SIS was statistically higher among non-medical students (19.89 ± 8.58) versus (16.60 ± 7.56) among medical ones. On the other hand, OSSS-3 was statistically higher among medical students, where (48.9%) of non-medical students reported poor social support versus (43.3%) among medical ones, and only (7.1%) of non-medical students reported strong social support versus (15.1%) among medical ones. The ordinal logistic regression revealed that non-medical education (OR = 1.74), smoking (OR = 2.16), dissatisfaction and neutral satisfaction regarding family relationships (OR = 6.49 and OR = 3.24, respectively), and low and moderate degrees of perceived social support (OR = 3.11 and OR = 1.81, respectively) are significant positive predictors of SI severity. Conclusion Since SI is a serious issue among Ain Shams University students, screening is required as a secure element of initiatives to prevent youth suicide. As poor perceived social support was a significant predictor of SI severity, teaching parenting strategies to enhance family relationships and coping with stressful situations through lectures and media must be intensified.