Correlates of Suicidal Ideation in Non-Depressed College Students

Abstract

The current study was designed to examine the correlates of suicide ideation in non-depressed college students. An initial sample of 1200 (600 males, 600 females) college students were administered Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. From initial sample, a final sample of 100 non-depressed males and 100 non-depressed females was selected. The participants were administered Beck’s Scale of Suicide Ideation, Hopelessness Scale, Automatic Thought Questionnaire, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Sarason’s Social Support Questionnaire, Revised Life Orientation Scale and Moos Family Environment Scale. Regression Analyses revealed differential salient predictors of suicide ideation for non-depressed males and females. Negative cognition referring to hopelessness was found to be a salient predictor of suicide ideation for males, while two personality dimensions referring to psychoticism and neuroticism, and affective dysregulation emerged as salient predictors of suicide ideation for females. The study suggests different intervention targets for non-depressed male and female college students.