Universities facing the potential risk for student suicide: an integrative review

Abstract

Introduction. Suicide is linked to socio-economic, socio-cultural, and age-related circumstances. When people cannot find solutions to their problems, they must be monitored closely and effectively. The university campus can become a welcoming and powerful environment to develop actions that prevent risk factors for suicide. Objective. To describe the synthesis of knowledge about actions developed in universities to minimize the risk for suicide. Method. An integrative review was carried out in August 2020 in the Virtual Health Library, Pubmed Central, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Results. Two thematic categories emerged: “Suicide prevention: the campus as a shelter” and “Suicide prevention and mental health promotion: other strategies”. Publications in the United States of America predominated (63.63%). The promotion of mental health as a strategy to reduce suicide was little addressed, and it was found that the demands of university students are met through psychology services, counseling centers, campaigns, training, and support groups. Discussion and conclusion. The university contributes to the construction of values, concepts, and ways of exploring the world. It is a privileged place, with a unique potential for applying strategies on the subject of suicide, training subjects capable of identifying and understanding the signs of risk to intervene or activate help.