Sociodemographic and psycho-maladaptive factors determining suicidal ideation and its implications for a preventive-based intervention among students at a university in northern Mexico.
Fecha
2025-05
Autores
OGUNTAYO, ROTIMI
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Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez
Resumen
Background: Globally, suicide among young adults remains a significant public health concern, with Mexico being no exception, while studies have identified Chihuahua State as the most affected region in Mexico. While university students are part of this vulnerable population, there remains insufficient research focusing on the psychosocial determinants and prevention of suicidal ideation (SI). Objectives: This study aimed to assess, through quantitative and qualitative approaches, the demographic and psycho-maladaptive factors contributing to the risk and protective factors of suicidal ideation among university students at Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), northern Mexico, to inform the development of intervention-based preventive programs. Theory: The study was guided by the Three-Step Theory of Suicide and the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide. Methodology: This mixed-methods research employed a sequential explanatory design. The quantitative phase used a cross-sectional survey with an ex post facto design and an empirical-analytical approach rooted in positivism. Cochran’s (1977) sample size formula and snowball sampling techniques were employed to recruit 385 participants. Data were collected using a comprehensive questionnaire pack that included the Plutchik Suicide Risk Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Oslo Social Support Scale, the Acceptance and Commitment Questionnaire-II, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, and the Environmental Worry Index. Quantitative data were analyzed using correlation, hierarchical multiple regression, and Hayes’s mediation modeling at a significance level of p < .05. In the qualitative phase, nine (9) students with a history of suicidal behavior were purposefully selected from different UACJ institutes. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic content analysis grounded in an interpretivist approach. Results: Quantitative results showed significant negative correlations between age (r = −0.114, p < .05), resilience (r = −0.725, p < .01), and social support (r = −0.404, p < .01) and SI. Conversely, cognitive rigidity (r = 0.701, p < .01), anxiety (r = 0.814, p < .01), depression (r = 0.813, p < .01), and environmental degradation worry (r = 0.745, p < .01) were positively associated with SI. In the predictive modeling; Model 1 showed that identifying as a sexual minority (β = −0.113, p < .05), lacking a scholarship (β = −0.271, p < .01), and reporting poor academic performance (β = −0.287, p < .01) predicted SI, collectively explaining 28.1% of the variance. Model 2 significantly increased the explained variance to 78.1%, with resilience (β = −0.141, p < .01), anxiety (β = 0.598, p < .01), and depression (β = 0.716, p < .01) emerging as stronger predictors of SI. Mediation analysis showed that anxiety significantly predicted SI (β = 2.2046, SE = 0.0798, t = 12.61, p < .001, 95% CI [2.048, 2.361]), with significant indirect effects through resilience (β = 0.3667, 95% CI [0.1219, 0.6275]) and social support (β = 0.1191, 95% CI [0.0621, 0.1840]); the total indirect effect was significant (β = 0.4858, SE = 0.1312, 95% CI [0.2337, 0.7492]). Depression significantly predicted SI (β = 2.2046, SE = 0.0836, t = 27.07, p < .001, 95% CI [2.0981, 2.4268]), with mediation effects through resilience (β = 0.3986, 95% CI [0.1258, 0.7051]) and social support (β = 0.1162, 95% CI [0.0553, 0.1869]); the total indirect effect was significant (β = 0.5150, SE = 0.1523, 95% CI [0.2354, 0.8353]). Resilience (β = −0.7841, p < .001) and social support (β = −0.2258, p < .001) significantly predicted cognitive rigidity, which, in turn, predicted SI (β = −0.4049, p < .001), suggesting that greater resilience and social support reduced cognitive rigidity and thereby decreased SI. Environmental degradation worry significantly predicted SI (β = 0.2026, p < .001), with resilience (β = 0.2794, 95% CI [0.0775, 0.5130]) and social support (β = 0.1133, 95% CI [0.0465, 0.1982]) mediating this relationship; the total indirect effect was significant (β = 0.3927, SE = 0.1244, 95% CI [0.1714, 0.6476]). Qualitative findings complemented and expanded upon the quantitative results, confirming the key risk factors (anxiety, depressive symptoms, cognitive rigidity, and environmental degradation worry) and uncovering additional familial, social, academic, and psychological stressors. Familial factors included family history of mental health issues, parental conflict, bullying, and interpersonal violence. Social factors involved low help-seeking behavior, financial hardship, inadequate mental health services, and poor student-teacher relationships. Academic factors encompassed academic burnout, study pressure, and study-life imbalance. Psychological stressors included perceived low belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and diminished resilience. Discussion: The study underscored the critical roles of young age, cognitive rigidity, anxiety, depression, environmental degradation worry, sexual minority status, lack of scholarship, and low academic performance as significant risk factors for suicidal ideation. Protective factors such as resilience and social support emerged as crucial mediators, reducing suicidal ideation risks by attenuating cognitive rigidity, emotional distress, and environmental worry. Qualitative insights further illuminated the complex, layered nature of stressors influencing suicidal ideation. Conclusion: This study highlighted the multifaceted nature of suicidal ideation among university students, shaped by sociodemographic, psychological, academic, and environmental factors. The findings support the need for preventive interventions integrating resilience-building programs, strengthening social support systems within academic and familial contexts, and addressing environmental concerns to mitigate suicidal ideation risk among university students.
showed that identifying as a sexual minority (β = −0.113, p < .05), lacking a scholarship (β = −0.271, p < .01), and reporting poor academic performance (β = −0.287, p < .01) predicted SI, collectively explaining 28.1% of the variance. Model 2 significantly increased the explained variance to 78.1%, with resilience (β = −0.141, p < .01), anxiety (β = 0.598, p < .01), and depression (β = 0.716, p < .01) emerging as stronger predictors of SI. Mediation analysis showed that anxiety significantly predicted SI (β = 2.2046, SE = 0.0798, t = 12.61, p < .001, 95% CI [2.048, 2.361]), with significant indirect effects through resilience (β = 0.3667, 95% CI [0.1219, 0.6275]) and social support (β = 0.1191, 95% CI [0.0621, 0.1840]); the total indirect effect was significant (β = 0.4858, SE = 0.1312, 95% CI [0.2337, 0.7492]). Depression significantly predicted SI (β = 2.2046, SE = 0.0836, t = 27.07, p < .001, 95% CI [2.0981, 2.4268]), with mediation effects through resilience (β = 0.3986, 95% CI [0.1258, 0.7051]) and social support (β = 0.1162, 95% CI [0.0553, 0.1869]); the total indirect effect was significant (β = 0.5150, SE = 0.1523, 95% CI [0.2354, 0.8353]). Resilience (β = −0.7841, p < .001) and social support (β = −0.2258, p < .001) significantly predicted cognitive rigidity, which, in turn, predicted SI (β = −0.4049, p < .001), suggesting that greater resilience and social support reduced cognitive rigidity and thereby decreased SI. Environmental degradation worry significantly predicted SI (β = 0.2026, p < .001), with resilience (β = 0.2794, 95% CI [0.0775, 0.5130]) and social support (β = 0.1133, 95% CI [0.0465, 0.1982]) mediating this relationship; the total indirect effect was significant (β = 0.3927, SE = 0.1244, 95% CI [0.1714, 0.6476]). Qualitative findings complemented and expanded upon the quantitative results, confirming the key risk factors (anxiety, depressive symptoms, cognitive rigidity, and environmental degradation worry) and uncovering additional familial, social, academic, and psychological stressors. Familial factors included family history of mental health issues, parental conflict, bullying, and interpersonal violence. Social factors involved low help-seeking behavior, financial hardship, inadequate mental health services, and poor student-teacher relationships. Academic factors encompassed academic burnout, study pressure, and study-life imbalance. Psychological stressors included perceived low belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and diminished resilience. Discussion: The study underscored the critical roles of young age, cognitive rigidity, anxiety, depression, environmental degradation worry, sexual minority status, lack of scholarship, and low academic performance as significant risk factors for suicidal ideation. Protective factors such as resilience and social support emerged as crucial mediators, reducing suicidal ideation risks by attenuating cognitive rigidity, emotional distress, and environmental worry. Qualitative insights further illuminated the complex, layered nature of stressors influencing suicidal ideation. Conclusion: This study highlighted the multifaceted nature of suicidal ideation among university students, shaped by sociodemographic, psychological, academic, and environmental factors. The findings support the need for preventive interventions integrating resilience-building programs, strengthening social support systems within academic and familial contexts, and addressing environmental concerns to mitigate suicidal ideation risk among university students.
Descripción
This thesis examined the sociodemographic, psychological, academic, social, and environmental factors associated with suicidal ideation among students at the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the study initially conducted a cross-sectional quantitative survey with 385 students, employing validated instruments to assess suicide risk, resilience, social support, psychological inflexibility, anxiety, depression, and environmental degradation worry. This was followed by in-depth interviews with nine students who had a history of suicidal behaviour.
The results showed that anxiety, depressive symptoms, psychological inflexibility, environmental worry, poor academic performance, lack of scholarship support, and certain conditions of social vulnerability were associated with greater suicidal ideation. In contrast, resilience and social support functioned as protective and mediating factors. The qualitative findings further identified family conflict, interpersonal violence, financial hardship, academic pressure, limited access to mental health services, low social belonging, and perceived burdensomeness.
The study concludes that suicide prevention among university students requires comprehensive interventions that strengthen resilience, social support, psychological care, inclusion, and wellbeing within academic and family contexts.
Palabras clave
Preventive intervention, Psycho-maladaptive factors, Socio-demographics, suicidal ideation,, University students.