Description
Abstract
Background: Kerala has one of the highest rates of literacy and the most remarkable development indices. At the same time, Kerala has the fourth-highest national suicide rate. The increased suicide rate in Kerala society concerns development planners and social workers. As suicidal ideation is the stepping stone to the suicidal act, an investigation into the prevalence and reasons for suicide ideation is vital in effective preventive actions to counteract suicide. This study investigates the prevalence and causes of suicidal thoughts among college students to mitigate the problem effectively.
Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on a geographically defined population in Kerala. This study used the Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (ASIQ) (Reynolds, 1991) among 630 college students from 43 colleges in Kerala, India.
Findings: The suicidal ideation levels are higher in female than male college students. The students from the urban areas also have high suicidal ideation levels. Academic stress, Financial Problems are the major triggers of suicidal ideation. Most students lack access to professional care centres and other support systems.
Keywords: Suicidal Ideation, College Students. Youth, Professional Care centres
