Factors Increasing Suicidal Risk in Young Argentinean College Students With and Without Suicide Attempt History

Abstract

Predicting suicidal behavior is one of the most challenging tasks in mental health-related disciplines. We addressed this noteworthy issue in young Argentinean people, since suicidal behavior is an increasing albeit meagerly studied phenomenon throughout this country. We aimed to compare mental health-related variables, impulsivity-related traits, and main demographic variables between groups with and without suicide attempt history and to assess potentially affecting factors related to increasing suicidal risk in each group. A cross-sectional sample of 451 young college students (Mage = 21.74) answered online self-reported questionnaires. Differences and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. The group with suicide attempt history had worst scores in all mental health-related variables (suicidal risk, psychological discomfort, social functioning and coping, depression, anxiety, and alcohol-related consequences), higher positive urgency and (lack of) premeditation, and higher frequency of mental disorder history, than their counterparts without suicide attempt history. The best-fitted model to predict suicidal risk for this group included the following: psychological discomfort, social functioning and coping, depression, anxiety, negative alcohol-related consequences, positive urgency, and (lack of) premeditation. In the group without suicide attempt history, the best-fitted model included the following: sex, age, psychological discomfort, social functioning and coping, depression, anxiety, negative urgency, and (lack of) premeditation. Both depression and anxiety demonstrated to be the most relevant predictors of suicidal risk irrespective of suicide attempts. In addition to depression and anxiety, other predictors seem to act upon producing or restraining such outcomes. Our findings suggest that such predictors may be negative alcohol-related consequences and the positive and negative urgency impulsivity-related traits.