# Suicide risk characteristics of vocational college students: A latent profile analysis

## TL;DR

This study identifies three suicide risk groups among vocational college students using a psychological model to guide targeted mental health interventions.

## Contribution

The study introduces a tripartite suicide risk classification system for vocational students using latent profile analysis.

## Key findings

- Three distinct suicide risk subgroups were identified: high-risk, moderate-risk, and low-risk.
- High-risk students showed severe psychological symptoms and poor social functioning.
- Social support was found to be a protective factor against suicide risk.

## Abstract

Guided by the stress-diathesis model, this study employed latent profile analysis to investigate heterogeneity in suicide risk profiles and inform targeted intervention strategies among college vocational students.

Data were collected from 1,620 vocational college students identified as high-risk for suicide. Validated instruments—including the Adolescent Life Events Scale (ASLEC), Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS)—were used to assess stress factors (negative life events), symptom factors (depression, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms), diathesis traits (neuroticism, adverse childhood experiences), and protective factors (social support). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was applied to identify distinct risk subgroups.

LPA revealed three distinct risk subgroups: a High-risk group (17.4%), characterized by severe psychological symptoms, elevated suicide preparation, and impaired social functioning; a Moderate-risk group (46.5%), defined by neuroticism, persistent despair, and intermediate symptom severity; and a Low-risk group (36.1%), distinguished by robust social support and minimal psychopathological manifestations. Regression analyses indicated that negative life events, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism significantly predicted suicide risk, while social support served as a protective factor.

These findings validate the stress-diathesis framework and advance suicide prevention research by operationalizing heterogeneous risk profiles through LPA. The tripartite classification system offers actionable insights for tiered campus mental health interventions, suggesting crisis management for high-risk individuals, resilience-building for moderate-risk groups, and preventive support for low-risk populations.