Mental health literacy and suicidal ideation among Chinese college students: The mediating role of depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Mental health literacy (MHL) is essential to mental health. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are significant antecedents and closely related to suicide among college students. Few studies have explored the mediating role of depressive and anxiety symptoms between MHL and suicidal ideation. METHODS: 5578 college students were included in the analysis. The online Wenjuanxing platform was used to collect data from November 2020 to March 2021. The bootstrapping method was used to test the mediating role of depressive and anxiety symptoms in the links between MHL and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Approximately 18.8 % of Chinese college students in our study reported having suicidal ideation. MHL exhibited a significant and negative correlation with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal ideation, whereas depressive and anxiety symptoms correlated significantly and positively with suicidal ideation. Compared with the lowest MHL quartile, the 3rd and 4th quartiles of MHL were associated with a significantly lower risk of suicidal ideation after adjusting for various confounding factors. Depressive and anxiety symptoms partially mediated the relationship between MHL and suicidal ideation, and the mediating effect of depressive symptoms was significantly greater than that of anxiety symptoms. LIMITATIONS: This study was a cross-sectional survey. Future longitudinal studies on this relation are needed. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive and anxiety symptoms mediate the relationship between MHL and suicidal ideation. Comprehensive school-based specific psychological education programs are needed to improve college students' MHL and change their attitudes toward mental health services.

Depressive Symptoms as a Mediator between Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Suicidal Ideation among Chinese College Students.

The purpose of this study was to verify the mediating role of depressive symptoms between excessive daytime sleepiness and suicidal ideation in college students. Of the 6944 participants, 2609 (37.6%) were male and 4335 (62.4%) were female. College students with excessive daytime sleepiness (p < 0.001) and those with depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) were more likely to have suicidal ideation. Moreover, both excessive daytime sleepiness (ß = 0.14, 95% CI: 1.01−1.32) and depressive symptoms (ß = 1.47, 95% CI: 3.80−5.00) were associated with suicidal ideation. The effect size of the mediating role of depressive symptoms in excessive daytime sleepiness to suicidal ideation was 50.41% for the entire sample, 58.33% for males, and 42.98% for females. Depressive symptoms partially mediated the relationship between excessive daytime sleepiness and suicidal ideation. The timely assessment of depressive symptoms in college students with excessive daytime sleepiness, and intervention, may reduce their risk of suicidal ideation.

Associating factors of suicide and repetition following self-harm: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

Background: Longitudinal evidence for sociodemographic and clinic factors deviating risk for suicide and repetition following SH (self-harm) varied greatly. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycINFO was conducted from January 1st, 2010 to April 5th, 2022. Longitudinal studies focusing on examining associating factors for suicide and repetition following SH were included. PROSPERO registration CRD42021248695. Findings: The present meta-analysis synthesized data from 62 studies published from Jan. 1st, 2010. The associating factors of SH repetition included female gender (RR, 95%CI: 1.11, 1.04-1.18, I2=82.8%), the elderly (compared with adolescents and young adults, RR, 95%CI: 0.67, 0.52-0.87, I2=86.3%), multiple episodes of SH (RR, 95%CI: 1.97, 1.51-2.57, I2=94.3%), diagnosis (RR, 95%CI: 1.60, 1.27-2.02, I2=92.7%) and treatment (RR, 95%CI: 1.59, 1.40-1.80, I2=93.3%) of psychiatric disorder. Male gender (RR, 95%CI: 2.03, 1.80-2.28, I2=83.8%), middle-aged adults (compared with adolescents and young adults, RR, 95%CI: 2.40, 1.87-3.08, I2=74.4%), the elderly (compared with adolescents and young adults, RR, 95%CI: 4.38, 2.98-6.44, I2=76.8%), physical illness (RR, 95%CI: 1.95, 1.56-2.43, I2=0), multiple episodes of SH (RR, 95%CI: 2.02, 1.58-2.58, I2=87.4%), diagnosis (RR, 95%CI: 2.13, 1.67-2.71, I2=90.9%) and treatment (RR, 95%CI: 1.36, 1.16-1.58, I2=58.6%) of psychiatric disorder were associated with increased risk of suicide following SH. Interpretation: Due to the substantial heterogeneity for clinic factors of suicide and repetition following SH, these results need to be interpreted with caution. Clinics should pay more attention to the cases with SH repetition, especially with poor physical and psychiatric conditions. Funding: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [No: 82103954; 30972527; 81573233].