Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Mental Health and Suicidal Behavior Among Graduate Students

  • Empirical Report
  • Published:
Academic Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this paper is to describe the mental health and service utilization of graduate students at a large southeastern university and identify psychological factors associated with their student suicidal behavior.

Methods

E-mail invitations to complete the Interactive Screening Program, an online anonymous mental health questionnaire, were sent to graduate students. The questionnaire included the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) as well as items assessing suicide behavior, anxiety, negative emotion, substance use, eating behavior, and service utilization.

Results

A total of 301 graduate students responded to the questionnaires between 14 July 2010 and 24 January 2012. With regards to suicide, 7.3 % of the sample reported thoughts of suicide, 2.3 % reported having plans for suicide, and 1.7 % had hurt themselves in the past 2 weeks; while 9.9 % had ever made a suicide attempt in their lifetime. Graduate students had PHQ-9 scores indicating mild depression, and more than half endorsed feeling nervous, irritable, stressed, anxious, lonely, or having fights/arguments. In terms of service utilization, 22.2 % of the sample was currently taking some type of medication, and 18.5 % currently in counseling/therapy are females and those with higher PHQ-9 scores more likely to be using services. Those endorsing suicidal behavior in the past 2 weeks had significantly higher depression scores than those without such behavior and were characterized by more anxiety, negative emotions (such as loneliness, anger, hopelessness, desperation, and being out of control), substance use, and eating problems.

Conclusions

Graduate students experience significant amounts of stress and anxiety, and their suicidal behavior is strongly characterized by depression, hopelessness, desperation, lack of control, and eating problems. Future work with this population should focus on the development and evaluation of mental health and wellness interventions and on ways to promote help-seeking, especially among male students.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Hyun JK, Quinn BC, Madon T, Lustig S. Graduate student mental health: needs assessment and utilization of counseling services. J Coll Stud Dev. 2006;47:247–66. doi:10.1353/csd.2006.0030.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Eisenberg D, Gollust SE, Golberstein E, Hefner JL. Prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among college students. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2007;77:534–42. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.77.4.534.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Helmers KF, Danoff D, Steinert Y, Leton M, Young SN. Stress and depressed mood in medical students, law students, and graduate students at McGill University. Acad Med. 1997;72:708–14. doi:10.1097/00001888-199708000-00018.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Silverman MM, Meyer PM, Sloane F, Raffel M, Pratt DM. The Big Ten Student Suicide Study: A 10-year study of suicides on midwestern university campuses. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1997;27:285–303. doi:10.1111/(ISSN)1943-278X.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Drum DJ, Brownson C, Denmark AB, Smith SE. New data on the nature of suicidal crises in college students: Shifting the paradigm. Prof Psychol Res Pract. 2009;40:213–22. doi:10.1037/a0014465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Massie S, Power DV, Eacker A, Harper W, et al. Burnout and suicidal ideation among U.S. medical students. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:334–41. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-149-5-200809020-00008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Dammeyer MM, Nunez N. Anxiety and depression among law students: Current knowledge and future directions. Law Hum Behav. 1999;23:55–73. doi:10.1023/A:1022374723371.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Huntington JL, Lawson KL, Novotny PJ, Sloan JA, et al. Personal life events and medical student burnout: A multicenter study. Acad Med. 2006;81:374–84. doi:10.1097/00001888-200604000-00010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Systematic review of depression, anxiety, and other indicators of psychological distress among U.S. and Canadian medical students. Acad Med. 2006;81:354–73. doi:10.1097/00001888-200604000-00009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Nogueira-Martins LA, Neto RF, Macedo PCM, Cítero VA, Mari JJ. The mental health of graduate students at the Federal University of Sao Paulo: A preliminary report. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2004;37:1519–24. doi:10.1590/S0100-879X2004001000011.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Stecker T. Well-being in an academic enviornment. Med Educ. 2004;38:465–78. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2929.2004.01812.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Morgan TJ, Ness D, Robinson M. Students’ help-seking behaviours by gender, racial background, and student status. Canadian Journal of Counseling 2003; 37, 151–166. doi: Retrieved from http://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/cjc/index.php/rcc

    Google Scholar 

  13. Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Medical student distress: Causes, consequences, and proposed solutions. J Mayo Clin Proc. 2005;80:1613–22. doi:10.4065/80.12.1613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Givens JL, Tjia J. Depressed medical students’ use of mental health services and barriers to use. Acad Med. 2002;77:918–21. doi:10.1097/00001888-200209000-00024.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Tija J, Givens JL, Shea JA. Factors associated with undertreatment of medical student depression. J Am Coll Heal. 2005;53:219–24. doi:10.3200/JACH.53.5.219-224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Toews JA, Lockyer JM, Dobson DJ, Brownell AK. Stress among residents, medical students, and graduate students (MSc/PhD) students. Acad Med. 1993;68:S46–8. doi:10.1097/00001888-199310000-00042.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Cranford JA, Eisenberg D, Serras AM. Substance use behaviors, mental health problems, and use of mental health services in a probablity sample of college students. Addict Behav. 2009;34:134–45. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2008.09.004.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Parker SC, Lyons J, Bonner J. Eating disorders in graduate students: Exploring the SCOFF questionnaire as a simple screening tool. J Am Coll Heal. 2005;54:103–7. doi:10.3200/JACH.54.2.103-107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Dearing R, Maddux J, Tangney J. Predictors of psychological help seeking in clinical and counseling psychology graduate students. Prof Psychol Res Pract. 2005;36:323–9. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.36.3.323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 2013 The Interactive Screening Program. Retrieved August 28, 2013 from https://www.afsp.org/preventing-suicide/our-education-and-prevention-programs/the-interactive-screening-program.

  21. Haas A, Koestner B, Rosenberg J, Moore D, Garlow SJ, Sedway J, et al. An interactive web-based method of outreach to college students at risk for suicide. J Am Coll Heal. 2008;57:1522. doi:10.3200/JACH.57.1.15-22.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Garlow SJ, Rosenberg J, Moore JD, Haas AP, Koestner B, Hendin H, et al. Depression, desperation, and suicidal ideation in college students: Results from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention College Screening Project at Emory University. Depression Anxiety. 2008;25:482–8. doi:10.1002/da.20321.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Moutier C, Norcross W, Jong P, Norman M, Kirby B, McGuire T, Ayanian J, Ford D, Henke R, Rost K, Zaslavsky A, et al. The Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Program at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Academic Medicine 2012; 87. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31824451ad.

  24. Kaslow NJ, Garcia-Williams A, Moffitt L, McLeod M, Zesiger H, Ammirati R, et al. Building and maintaining an effective campus-wide coalition for suicide prevention. J Coll Stud Psychother. 2012;26:121–39. doi:10.1080/87568225.2012.659160.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measures. J Gen Intern Med. 2001;16:606–13. doi:10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Gibb BE, Andover M, Beach SRH. Suicidal ideation and attitudes toward suicide. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2006;36:12–8. doi:10.1521/suli.2006.36.1.12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Hirsch JK, Visser PL, Chang EC, Jeglic EL. Race and ethnic differences in hope and hopelessness as moderators of the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior. J Am Coll Heal. 2012;60:115–25. doi:10.1080/07448481.2011.567402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Kisch J, Leino EV, Silverman MM. Aspects of suicidal behavior, depression, and treatment in college students: Results from the spring 2000 National College Health Assessment Survey. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2005;35:3–13. doi:10.1521/suli.35.1.3.59263.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Klibert J, Langhinrichsen-Rohling J, Luna A, Robichaux M. Suicide proneness in college students: Relationships with gender, procrastination, and achievement motivation. Death Stud. 2011;35:625–45. doi:10.1080/07481187.2011.553311.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Konick LC, Guitierrez PM. Testing a model of suicide ideation in college students. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2005;35:181–92. doi:10.1521/suli.35.2.181.62875.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Mackenzie S, Wiegel JR, Mundt M, Brown DL, Saewyc E, Helligenstein E, et al. Depression and suicide ideation among students accessing campus health care. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2011;81:101–7. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.2010.01077.x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Nadorff MR, Nazem S, Fiske A. Insomnia symptoms, nightmwards, and suicidal ideation in a college student sample. Sleep 2011; 34, 93–98. doi: Retreived from http://www.journalsleep.org.

  33. Van Orden KA, Witte TK, Cukrowicz KC, Braithwaite SR, Selby EA, Joiner Jr TE. The interpersonal theory of suicide. Psychol Rev. 2010;117:575–600. doi:10.1037/a0018697.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Wilcox HC, Arria AM, Caldeira KM, Vincent KB, Pinchevsky GM, O’Grady KE. Prevalence and predictors of persistent suicide ideation, plans, and attempts during college. J Affect Disord. 2010. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2010.04.017.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Reed DA, Shanafelt TD, Satele DW, PowerDV, Eacker A, Harper W, et al. Relationship of pass/fail grading and curriculum structure with well-being among preclinical medical students: A multi-institutional study. Academic Medicine 2011; (86). doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182305d81.

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Campus Suicide Prevention Grant Program—Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration entitled “Positively transforming Emory’s diverse culture: Reducing stigma and promoting a community of caring—EMORY CARES 4 U” (1U79M058941-01) awarded to the last author.

Disclosure

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Amanda G. Garcia-Williams, Lauren Moffitt & Nadine J. Kaslow

Authors
  1. Amanda G. Garcia-Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lauren Moffitt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nadine J. Kaslow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nadine J. Kaslow.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Garcia-Williams, A.G., Moffitt, L. & Kaslow, N.J. Mental Health and Suicidal Behavior Among Graduate Students. Acad Psychiatry 38, 554–560 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0041-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0041-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation