The problem of suicidal behaviour in the student environment: experience of empirical study

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of youth suicide, that remains very relevant today. The authors point out that only registered suicide attempts enter the official statistics, and there are still a large number of unsuccessful attempts that remain unregistered. Also, the emergence of so-called “death groups” against the backdrop of large-scale involvement of young people in social networks exacerbates the problem. To study the topic and prevent the formation of suicidal behaviour, a specific approach is required, since the topic of suicide is quite sensitive. To solve the problem, the authors conducted an empirical study aimed at developing a methodology for diagnosing suicidal risk among young people. The research consists of three stages. At the first stage, a systematic analysis of scientific sources was carried out, as a result of which the factors influencing the occurrence of suicidal tendencies were identified: demographic, psychological (personal) and social. Next, a questionnaire was developed with methods that diagnosed each factor: a modified questionnaire of suicidal risk by T.N. Razuvaeva, a method for measuring the severity of loneliness by S. G. Korchagina, projective questions and a semantic differential. As a result, based on the developed typology of the level of suicidal tendencies, the respondent was identified from the standpoint of suicidal risk. The second stage was a survey of 1000 students of all levels of education. The results of the survey allowed to assess the severity of the risk of suicidal behaviour among students. The final stage of the study was the conduct of biographical interviews (testing the methodology), as well as the survey itself, according to the developed methodology, of students who had real suicidal thoughts (unrealised suicide attempts). This stage allowed to test the effectiveness of the tools developed on the basis of existing methods for diagnosing suicidal tendencies in students. In conclusion, the authors compare the results obtained with relevant studies by other scientists who also used an integrated approach of diagnostic techniques. The results of the study can be used by universities in the implementation of educational work with students.