Risk of suicide among university health students and associated factors

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is considered the fourth cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29 years. In this age group are university students, who may experience a period marked by anguish, uncertainty, challenges,  and suffering in their academic life, which, together with other factors, may favor the risk of suicide. OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for suicide (sociodemographic, educational, clinical, hope, major depression, and self-esteem factors) among university students in the health field. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study with a quantitative approach, developed with university students enrolled from the 5th period onwards in undergraduate courses in Biomedicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy,  Medicine, Nutrition, and Dentistry at a public institution of higher education located in the south of Minas Gerais. Five instruments were self-applied: sociodemographic, educational, and a clinical questionnaire; Suicide Risk  Assessment; Herth Hope Scale; Major Depression Inventory and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. To evaluate possible associations between variables, statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's chi-square test and  Spearman's correlation; and to quantify the association between suicide risk and independent variables, the logistic regression model. RESULTS: 747 university students participated in the study, in which 27.6% were at risk of suicide. Suicide risk predictors were having depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, diagnosis of mental disorder, use of psychotropic  drugs, and dissatisfaction with social support. CONCLUSION: The study identified the prevalence of suicide risk among university students in the health area and associated factors, such as depressive symptoms, low self- esteem, use of psychotropic drugs, lack of religious belief, family member or friend with suicidal behavior, among others. Furthermore, the results may provide a framework for interventions, investigations, and public policies  to support university students and prevent suicide in this population.