Academic procrastination, loneliness, and academic anxiety as predictors of suicidality among university students

Abstract

Suicide is a major public health concern, and university students are at higher risk of suicide than any other age group. The purpose of this study was to examine the prediction power of loneliness, academic anxiety, and academic procrastination on suicidality among university students. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used to recruit 403 university students using the electronic survey format in Jordan. Data were collected regarding loneliness, academic anxiety, academic procrastination, and suicidality. A two-step multiple hierarchical regression analysis was performed. Only 17.1% (n = 69) of students were at risk of suicide, low to moderate level of loneliness, moderate level and moderate to high level of academic procrastination of academic anxiety. The model that included the sociodemographic and the psychological factors was significant (F_18,390 = 12.3, p < 0.001) where the total variance in suicidality was 37.3% (R² = 0.373). Being a working student, being on psychotropic medication, romantic and family relationships domains of loneliness, and academic anxiety were found to be predictors of suicidality (p < 0.05). Suicide is a significant problem among university students. Mental health professionals and policymakers need to enhance the use and access to mental health services and seek psychological counselling to combat the increasingly observed phenomenon of suicide among young people.