Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempts, Parenting Styles, Social Support and School Conditions among College Students in China

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study is to explore the association between the socio-environmental factors and suicidality (suicidal ideation or suicide attempts). Cross-sectional data were obtained from 2,369 undergraduates (1,168 male and 1,201 female students) from four colleges in China. Approximately 12.7% of the participants reported having engaged in suicidal ideation and 6.4% reported having attempted suicide. Students belonging to a sexual-minority group were more likely to have engaged in suicidal ideation (23.2% vs. 11.7%; p < .001), and suicide attempts (16.5% vs. 5.5%; p < .001) than heterosexual participants. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that being a sexual minority (+), parenting styles including warmth (-), indulgence (+) and neglect (+), and support from family (-) were significantly associated with suicidality among male students. On the other hand, being a sexual minority group (+), parenting styles including warmth (-), humiliation (+) and neglect (+), support from teachers (-) and from boyfriend/girlfriend (-), and school conditions including learning atmosphere (-) and extracurricular activities (-) were significantly associated with suicidality among female participants.