SUICIDE RATES AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES
Suicide Rates Among College Students in Different Cultures
Brittany Smith
Nova Southeastern University
Professor Fisher
December 4, 2023
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SUICIDE RATES AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES
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Suicide Rates Among College Students in Different Cultures
Suicide is recognized and studied worldwide across many different cultures. Despite the
universal recognition of suicide, motivation to commit suicide can be triggered by a wide range
of conditions depending on the age group, and the frequency rate of suicidal ideations and
behaviors can vary drastically around the world. Most research currently existing on attitudes
toward suicide, suicidal behaviors, tendencies, and attempts have been primarily conducted in
Western Countries rather than undeveloped countries. The transition to higher education is a
pivotal period marked by academic challenges and social adjustments, which can cause undue
psychological distress and suicidal behavior or tendencies. Suicide rates among college students
have become a concerning phenomenon, prompting an urgent examination of its prevalence and
contributing factors within diverse cultural contexts. This essay aims to explore the variations in
suicide rates among college students across different cultures, shedding light on the cultural
nuances that may influence mental health outcomes. By delving into these cultural perspectives,
we can better understand the multifaceted nature of this issue and work towards tailored
interventions to support the well-being of college students worldwide.
In non-westernized societies, some cultures and communities stigmatize mental illness,
which can prevent individuals from seeking mental health treatment. China has recognized a
notable drop in the national suicide rate with the increase in urbanization and industrialization.
(Tang et al., 2017) However, suicide is still considered a serious health problem as both suicidal
thoughts and attempts are frequent among the younger Chinese demographic. This study in
central China, specifically the Wuhan region, was completed in 2017. The study aimed to
evaluate psychological distress and suicidal tendencies or behaviors among currently attending
undergraduate students. (Tang et al., 2017) The criteria for this study were in two parts, the first
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being a simple questionnaire. Students in universities around Wuhan were required to answer
two questions that asked if they had thoughts of or attempted suicide within the last year.
Secondly, the students were given a checklist indicating the underlying psychological
distress in the past seven days on a 5-point scale ranging from not at all, a little bit, moderately,
quite a bit, to extremely. This checklist is commonly known in China as SCL-90-R and is widely
used as a standard in gauging psychological distress. The results were calculated and then put
into three categories of scoring: mild, normative, and high. Out of the 5972 random students
sampled, 40.7% of them reported positive for psychological distress, and 7.6% of students
reported having suicidal tendencies or presenting suicidal behavior within the last year-long
period. (Tang et al., 2017) Tang et al. found rates of suicidal behavior to be more vastly
occurring in females with mild to normal levels of psychological distress and more extensive,
with males experiencing moderate or higher levels of psychological distress. (Tang et al., 2017)
Students at Chinese universities can also be prone to additional stress for many reasons, such as
not having regular familial support since they live far from their parents, maintaining parental
expectations, extensive school workloads, and overcrowded dorm spaces.
Opposite China and well above the United States, Korea’s suicide rate has increased
dramatically, with a current rate of 33.5 suicides per 100,000 people. A study was conducted
with a convenience sample of undergraduate students from Princeton University in the United
States and Kangwon National University in Korea. The goal of this study was to compare nonKorean and Korean students within the United States and Korean students in Korea to help
pinpoint specific attitudes that are resulting in the rapidly increased suicide rates in Korea. (Kim
& Park, 2014) The students were sent an online survey of the questionnaire on Attitudes Toward
Suicide. The results of this study partially support the hypothesis that students in the three groups
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will have different attitudes regarding suicide according to sociocultural norms, as students in
Korea held extreme views in 5 of the six areas surveyed. (Kim & Park, 2014) The rapid increase
in suicide rates in Korea may be partially enabled by the cultural view of suicide in the country.
Korean students in Korea have a far more accepting attitude toward suicide, believing that it is
talked about clearly to others when one is suicidal among their peers, and it can be a lengthy
process. Although indicating a belief in the possibility of suicide prevention, they believe people
do not have the right to prevent suicide due to ethical reasons. Taking the act as more of a
personal choice that no one has the right to take away. The Korean students living in America
did not reflect these same views, showing that cultural normality in opposite thinking can lead to
a shift in thinking about these subjects. These results suggest that a change in attitude toward
suicide has contributed to its rapid rise in Korea.
Underdeveloped countries with negative stigmas towards casual sexual relations or
homosexual relations may have a greater suicide risk for undergraduate students. A study that
took place over five months from January 2016 to May 2016 at Hamadan University of Medical
Sciences in Iran was done with the intent to approximate the occurrence rate and identify
behavioral risk factors that result in suicide ideations or attempts. (Poorolajal et al., 2017) The
sample used for this study consisted of 1254 participants ranging in age from 18-49, 39% being
male and 61% being female. Topics of interest included in the questionnaire these students
completed consisted of whether the participant was a cigarette smoker, abused narcotics, had
psychiatric disorders, questions indicating what type of sexual relationships and if they were
sexually active or not, whether they had a boyfriend/girlfriend, and social media use. (Poorolajal
et al., 2017) Out of the 1254 participating students, about 12% admitted to suffering from
suicidal ideations, with an additional 5% having attempted suicide. According to the study, 14%
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of male college students and 10% of female college students suffer from suicidal ideations or
tendencies. (Poorolajal et al., 2017) Opposite to the results of the survey done in Wuhan, China,
males in Iran have a higher prevalence rate of suicidal ideations compared to females. As shown
in the statistics, there was an increase in suicidal ideations or tendencies among individuals who
participated in casual sex or had relationships, those involved in narcotic use, and those who
smoked cigarettes. (Poorolajal et al., 2017) Due to some of the social normalities in Iranian
cultures, this study has some issues or limitations. Some of the topics on the questionnaire may
fall under more sensitive issues and, therefore, may not have gotten a truthful response from the
sample group. The lack of genuine response may also explain why the study concluded that those
who are in homosexual relationships or those having casual relationships were subject to more
suicidal thoughts or attempts of suicide because they feel more harshly judged for these actions.
This study highlighted the fact that smokers, drug users, and consumers of alcohol all had an
increased risk for suicidal tendencies. The increased risk for suicidal tendencies may be because
these substances have a significant risk factor for exacerbating previous negative emotions.
While rising suicide rates seem to be a worldwide occurrence in all age groups,
particularly, it has become the second leading cause of death in young Americans and college
students aged 15-24, increasing by 33% in the United States. (Oh et al., 2020) This study was
conducted due to rising suicide rates and ideology towards suicide. There is an urgent need to
find the critical risk factors in an attempt to mitigate the urge for University students to have
these thoughts and tendencies. Finding the root causes that lead to suicidal thoughts and
increasing the availability and ease of psychiatric care focused on these causes is a crucial
foundation of this study. (Oh et al., 2020) According to the statistics in this study, also found in
all of the studies, when it comes to abuse in all forms, physical, emotional, and sexual, all
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seemed to lead toward an increase in suicidal ideation, planning, and actual suicide attempts.
When there are multiple forms of abuse, for example, if someone had all three forms of abuse,
they would be about three times as likely to have suicidal tendencies as seen in the studies. This
is typical of a dose-response type behavior where each of the actions of abuse adds up to more
desensitization of a person, emotionally and physically. (Oh et al., 2020)
Societal norms play a significant role in both how suicide is viewed among the general
public and the reasons behind suicidal ideations among youth everywhere in the world. When
trying to analyze the reasoning portion, if a participant in one of these many studies conducted
were to be weary of answering honestly for fear of judgment or ostracization from their
community, this can have dire implications for the whole study, as the point is to find the root
cause of these thoughts and ideations towards suicide.(Poorolajal et al., 2017) Also seen in our
overview of these multiple studies, if a society is more permissive towards the acts and
ideologies of suicidal thoughts, this can increase the community as a whole to have a higher rate
of suicidal ideology and higher suicide rates. Abuse also seems to be one of the main connecting
factors between all of these studies, as there was a significant increase in each study when it
came to victims of abuse and an increased risk of suicidal ideations.
Suicide is seemingly a worldwide issue, although the United States and other Western
countries have more knowledge of and resources to help this mental health crisis. Additional
studies need to be conducted in underdeveloped countries to get a more accurate understanding
of the reasons behind the recent incline of college student suicides. Throughout these studies, the
paramount consistency that I recognized was that students who went through some sort of abuse
or used narcotics in any way are more susceptible to suicidal ideations and attempts.
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References
Tang, F., Byrne, M., & Qin, P. (2017). Psychological distress and risk for suicidal behavior
among university students in contemporary China. Journal of Affective Disorders.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.005
Kim, K., & Park, J. I. (2014). Attitudes toward suicide among college students in South Korea
and the United States. International Journal of Mental Health Systems.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-4458-8-17
Poorolajal, J., Panahi, S., Ghaleiha, A., Jalili, E., & Darvishi, N. (2017). Suicide and Associated
Risk Factors Among College Students. International Journal of Epidemiologic Research.
https://doi.org/10.15171/ijer.2017.11
Oh, H., Marinovich, C., Jay, S., Zhou, S., & Kim, J. (2020). Abuse and suicide risk among
college students in the United States: Findings from the 2019 Healthy Minds Study. Journal of
Affective Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.140