Risk factors for suicidal ideations and suicide attempts among medical students

TL;DR

Medical students are at high risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, with mental health issues and lack of support being key factors.

Contribution

This study systematically reviews risk factors for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among medical students.

Findings

Poor mental health, depression, anxiety, and burnout are strong risk factors for suicidal ideation in medical students.

Suicide attempts are significantly linked to long-term illness and comorbid mental health conditions.

Female gender and alcohol use are associated with suicidal ideation but not with suicide attempts.

Abstract

Medical students are a high-risk population for having suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, few studies have been fulfilled on this subject.

The objective of this study was to provide a systematic overview of risk factors for suicidal ideations (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) among medical students.

We set out to summarize the literature on the MEDLINE (via PUBMED) and Science Direct databases, regarding risk factors for SI and SA in medical students, using the key words : « medical student» ; « suicide attempt» ; « suicidal ideation », « risk ».

Recent studies showed that poor mental health outcomes including depression, anxiety, burnout, comorbid mental illness, and stress presented the strongest risk for SI among medical students. In addition, SI was statistically significantly associated with alcohol use, Tobacco consumption, personal history of suicide attempt, female gender and poor social support.

On the other hand, SA were significantly associated with the presence of a long-term illness, anxiety and depression. Conversely, stress, female gender, and alcohol use were not significant risk factors for SA among medical students.

Medical students face a number of personal, environmental, and academic challenges that may put them at risk for SI and SA. Additional research on individual risk factors is needed to construct effective suicide prevention programs in medical schools.

None Declared