Suicidal ideation among college students in the United States

This study analyzed data from the 1995 National College Health Risk Behavio r Survey (NCHRBS) to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation among colle ge students in the United States and to examine the association between sui cidal ideation and substance use in this population. The NCHRBS used a mail questionnaire to assess health-risk behaviors in a nationally representati ve sample of undergraduate students. During the 12 months preceding the sur vey, 10% of the students had seriously considered attempting suicide. When controlling for demographic characteristics, the analysis showed that stude nts who had considered suicide were at increased odds of using tobacco, alc ohol, and illegal drugs. These results suggest that colleges and universiti es should establish suicide prevention programs that also address the relat ed problem of substance use.