Relationship between individual character, handling pressure and suicidal ideation among undergraduate students

Objective To study the relationship between psychological character, encountered pressure, handling mode and suicidal ideation of undergraduates. Methods With convenient sampling, 974 undergraduates were investigated with uniform questionnaire at some universities in Guangzhou City. One-way logistic regression and multi-factor logistic regression were adopted to identify risk factors for suicidal ideation. Results Among 974 undergraduates, 14.6% of male and 17.5% of female were reported to have suicidal ideation, without difference in statistics. The rate of suicidal ideation in overseas Chinese students (18.8%) was higher than that from inland (11.2%). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the major risk factors for suicidal ideation were inferiority complex (OR=4.072), no communication with others when facing problems (OR=2.263), and having pressures from learning and living (OR=1.597), while the protective factors for suicidal ideation were physical training to relax (OR=0.519). Conclusions A correct attitude toward life and frustrations should be established for undergraduates to improve their mentality and prevent suicidal ideation.