Risk factors for suicide in Taiwanese college students.
OBJECTIVE
The authors investigated the personality characteristics, psychopathology, parenting style, and family function among Taiwanese college students with high, moderate, and low suicidal risks.


METHODS
The sample included 2,919 first-year college students (1,414 men, 1,505 women) from a university in Taipei, Taiwan.


METHODS
A self-administered questionnaire assessed domains covering demographics, personality, psychopathology, frequency of substance use, parenting style, family functioning, and suicidal behaviors. The authors used mixed models for data analysis.


RESULTS
The authors observed a positive linear trend between increased suicidal tendency and levels of neuroticism, harm avoidance, novelty seeking, psychopathology, and parenting styles of low affection, overprotection, and authoritarian controlling. Use of tobacco and alcohol and impaired family adaptation and cohesion were associated with high and moderate suicidal risks.


CONCLUSIONS
Personality, psychopathology, substance use, and familial factors are important correlates of suicidal risks among college students in Taiwan. Optimal suicide prevention strategies in the college setting should incorporate the multiple facets of suicidal risks.
Gau
Susan Shur-Fen
SS
Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. gaushufe@ntu.edu.tw
Chen
Ying-Yeh
YY
Tsai
Fang-Ju
FJ
Lee
Ming-Been
MB
Chiu
Yen-Nan
YN
Soong
Wei-Tsuen
WT
Hwu
Hai-Gwo
HG
D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013624:Taiwan; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult