Discrepancies in prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation and attempts in 18- to 22-year-old US college students: a comparison of three surveys.

Purpose: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) have been increasing among US college students. Accurate measurement of STB is key to understanding trends and guiding suicide prevention efforts. We aimed to compare the prevalence estimates of STB among college students from two campus-based surveys (the National College Health Assessment [NCHA] and the Healthy Minds Study [HMS]) and one general population study (the National Survey on Drug Use and Health [NSDUH]). Methods: Estimates were generated from the three surveys for past year suicidal ideation (PYSI) and past year suicide attempts (PYSA) among 18- to 22-year-old full-time college students. Data were combined from each survey to develop bivariate and multivariate regression models for odds of PYSI and PYSA. Results: Estimates for PYSI varied between the three surveys: 34.3% for NCHA, 15.0% for HMS, and 10.7% for NSDUH. Estimates for PYSA were 2.6% for NCHA, 1.6% for HMS, and 1.7% for NSDUH. After adjusting for demographic and educational characteristics, odds of PYSI remained significantly lower for HMS participants (aOR 0.31, 95% CI 0.29–0.33) and NSDUH participants (aOR 0.19, 95% CI 0.19–0.30) compared to NCHA participants. The odds of PYSA for HMS participants were lower than those for NCHA participants (aOR 0.63, 95% CI 0.54–0.73). Conclusion: Estimates of PYSI and PYSA vary between leading sources of data on college student mental health. The differences are likely related to question wording, survey implementation, as well as institutional and individual representation. Accounting for these differences when interpreting estimates of STB can help guide suicide prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]