ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in college students and is often associated with depression. The aim of this study was to assess the rates of suicidal ideation (SI) on college campuses and to identify its correlates. METHODS: On-campus depression screening sessions were conducted at 3 universities (n = 898; 55% female; mean age 20.07 ± 1.85 years). Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; mean ± SD of total score = 6.27 ± 6.31) and other measures. Eighty-four students endorsed a '1' on the BDI suicidality item, suggesting thoughts of suicide. RESULTS: Results showed that students with greater depression severity, higher levels of hopelessness, and poorer quality of life were more likely to endorse SI. CONCLUSION: Factors associated with SI highlighted in this study may aid in the identification of college students at risk for suicide.
Subject(s)
Depression/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder/diagnosis , Students/psychology , Suicidal Ideation , Adolescent , Depression/psychology , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Mass Screening , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Psychometrics , Quality of Life/psychology , Risk Factors , Severity of Illness Index , Surveys and Questionnaires , Universities , Young AdultABSTRACT
Eating disturbances continue to grow among college students, and researchers have begun to investigate factors that may lead to abnormal eating behaviors in this population. Recent research has also suggested that excessive exercise can become a compulsive behavior that may affect psychological health. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the relationships between both compulsive eating and exercise, and demographic and clinical variables in a college population. Participants were 589 undergraduates (mean age 20 years) recruited during a mental health screening at two different campuses. Participants completed a screening package of measures including a questionnaire about socio-demographic data, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Consumptive Habits Questionnaire (CHQ), the Modified Overt Aggression Scale-Self-rated version (MOAS), and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short version (QLESQ). A prevalence rate of 7.2% was found for compulsive eating and 18.1% for compulsive exercise, as measured by the CHQ. Only 11 participants (1.9%) reported both compulsive eating and exercise. There was no significant relationship between compulsive eating and compulsive exercise. The results suggest that college students may represent a group at high risk of developing abnormal eating behaviors and compulsive exercise.
Subject(s)
Compulsive Behavior/epidemiology , Eating/psychology , Exercise/psychology , Students/psychology , Students/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Aggression/psychology , Compulsive Behavior/psychology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Depressive Disorder/epidemiology , Depressive Disorder/psychology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/epidemiology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/psychology , Female , Health Surveys , Humans , Male , Mass Screening , Personality Inventory , Quality of Life/psychology , Risk Factors , Socioeconomic Factors , United States , Young AdultABSTRACT
A key component of how depression may impact personality pathology involves an understanding of how cognition and dysfunctional attitudes may change as a result of experiencing a depressive state, and how these changes may affect reporting of personality disorder symptoms. This study examines whether dysfunctional attitudes are related to the stability of personality disorder diagnoses. The sample comprised 64 outpatients who were treatment responders following an 8-week acute treatment phase for major depressive disorder (MDD), met criteria for remission throughout a 26-week continuation phase, and completed a personality disorder assessment Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Axis II Disorders (SCID-II) at the beginning and end of each treatment phase. The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) was given to patients at the beginning of the continuation phase. We found that following successful treatment of the MDD, individuals with stable personality disorder diagnoses (e.g., meeting criteria for a personality disorder at both the beginning and endpoint of continuation treatment) had greater severity of dysfunctional attitudes (P =.001) at the beginning of the continuation treatment compared to those who never met criteria for a personality disorder during continuation treatment. Though there was no significant relationship between DAS scores and the stability of a Cluster A or Cluster B personality disorder diagnosis, there was a significant relationship between DAS scores and the stability of a Cluster C personality disorder diagnosis (P <.001). Outpatients who had a stable Cluster C personality disorder diagnosis had higher scores on the DAS at the beginning of continuation treatment compared to outpatients who never met criteria for a Cluster C diagnosis. This finding suggests that dysfunctional attitudes that persist beyond remission of MDD may be a marker for certain personality disorders that are stable across long-term treatment.
