Suicidal Ideation and Behavior Among Mexican University Students Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of populations around the world, but few longitudinal studies of its impact on suicidal thoughts and behaviors have been published especially from low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study of 1,385 first-year students from 5 Universities in Mexico followed-up for 1 year. We report 1-year cumulative incidence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors before (September 19, 2019-March 29, 2020) and during the COVID-19 period (March 30, 2020-June 30, 2020), focusing on those in the COVID-19 period with risk conditions and positive coping strategies during the pandemic. RESULTS: There was an increase in the incidence of suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 period compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (RR 1.65, 95%CI 1.08-2.50). This increase was mostly found among students with heightened sense of vulnerability (RR 1.95), any poor coping behavior (RR 2.40) and a prior mental disorder (RR 2.41). While we found no evidence of an increased risk of suicidal planning or attempts, there was evidence that those without lifetime mental health disorders were at greater risk of suicidal plans than those with these disorders especially if they had poor coping strategies (RR 3.14). CONCLUSION: In the short term, how students deal with the pandemic, being at high risk and having poor coping behavior, increased the new occurrence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Studies with longer follow-up and interventions to reduce or enhance these behaviors are needed.HIGHLIGHTSSuicidal ideation increased during the COVID-19 periodThose with heightened sense of vulnerability and poor coping were more affectedStudies with longer follow-up are needed.

Prevalence of 12-month mental and substance use disorders in sexual minority college students in Mexico.

PURPOSE: Mental health disparities have been documented among sexual minority college students, but there is a dearth of evidence from developing countries. The aim is to estimate the prevalence of 12-month mental and substance use disorders across a range of sexual identities among first-year college students in Mexican universities, and test whether there is an association between sexual identity and disorders and whether the association is moderated by gender. METHOD: The University Project for Healthy Students, a web-based survey conducted as part of the World Health Organization's World Mental Health International College Student initiative, recruited 7874 students from nine Mexican universities in 2016 and 2017. Logistic regressions estimated the association of sexual identity with 12-month major depressive episode, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, alcohol abuse/dependence, and drug abuse/dependence, with interaction terms for gender. RESULTS: Compared to heterosexual students reporting no same-sex attraction (SSA), heterosexual students with SSA (AORs range 1.77-3.67) and lesbian/gay and bisexual students (AORs range 2.22-5.32) were at a higher risk for several disorders. Asexual students were at higher risk for drug abuse/dependence (AOR = 3.64). Students unsure of their sexual identity were at a higher risk for major depressive episode, panic disorder, and drug abuse/dependence (AORs range 2.25-3.82). Gender differences varied across sexual identity and disorder. CONCLUSION: These findings are the first empirical report of sexual minority psychiatric disparities among a college student population from a developing nation and underscore the importance of clinical interventions that address mental health needs among sexual minority college students.

Suicide thought and behaviors, non-suicidal self-injury, and perceived life stress among sexual minority Mexican college students.

BACKGROUND: Sexual minority college students are at a higher risk for suicidal thoughts and self-injurious behaviors compared to heterosexual students. Minority stress theory proposes sexual minority individuals experience higher stress due to stigma. Using a sample of Mexican college students, this study tested perceived life stress as a mediator of suicide and self-injury outcomes across various sexual orientation groups. METHODS: The sample of college students (N=7882) was recruited from nine Mexican universities as part of the WHO World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS) initiative. Participants completed an online survey including demographic questions, measure of perceived life stress, suicide outcomes, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in the past 12 months. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses revealed identifying as a sexual minority significantly predicted a higher likelihood of suicide ideation (ORs 2.05-3.00), suicide attempts (ORs 2.48-8.73), and NSSI (ORs 2.92-4.18) compared to heterosexual students reporting no same-gender attraction. Significant indirect effects from mediation path analyses showed perceived life stress mediated the relationship between a sexual minority identity and suicide ideation (range of proportion mediated 10.48-31.48%), attempts (10.48-31.48%), and NSSI (7.69-20.09%) across each group except among asexual students. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional nature of the survey design precludes drawing causal inferences. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study contribute to minority stress theory by elucidating the role of perceived life stress as a mediator of suicide ideation and attempts and NSSI among sexual minority college students. Clinical interventions may benefit in focusing on experiences of stress across various life areas when supporting sexual minority college students.