Factors underlying suicidal ideation among college students: a test of Teicher and Jacobs' model.

The study examined three factors thought to be involved in the etiology of suicidal ideation in adolescents: an absence or disruption of interpersonal attachments, a conviction of personal helplessness, and a sense of hopelessness regarding the future. Subjects, 191 college students age 21 or less, completed questionnaires assessing suicidal ideation, parent and peer attachments, locus of control, and hopelessness. Nearly 61 per cent of the subjects reported at least some degree of suicidal ideation, and 21 per cent reported moderate or high levels of ideation. Both low-level and moderate- to high-level ideators reported poorer relationships with their parents than non-ideators. In addition, compared to non-ideator and low-ideator subjects, moderate to high ideators reported poorer relationships with peers and greater convictions of helplessness and hopelessness about the future. No gender differences were found other than a suggestion that insecure attachment to parents may be a more important factor in the genesis of suicidal ideation in college women than men.

Prevaccination screening of medical and dental students. Should low levels of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen preclude vaccination?

The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers in 484 medical and 329 dental students was studied. Three students (0.9%) were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) reactive, and 46 students (5.7%) were reactive for antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs). There was no difference in anti-HBs frequency between medical and dental students, and the prevalence of this marker was not associated with year in school. Of the 46 reactors, eight (17%) were nonreproducible and 38 (83%) were reproducibly reactive when the same samples were reanalyzed. Of note, all nonreproducible reactors exhibited anti-HBs sample-negative control (S/N) ratios of less than 10, and none were positive for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). Nineteen (50%) of the reproducible reactors had anti-HBs S/N ratios equal to or greater than 10, and only 15 (39%) were anti-HBc positive. In view of these observations, we do not recommend HBV screening in a vaccine program for health students. Due to the frequency with which low-level anti-HBs reactors without anti-HBc are found to be nonreproducibly positive, we are concerned by the potential overinterpretation of such results before the formulation of decisions about the need for vaccination.