Suicidal Behavior and Problematic Internet Use in College Students.

BACKGROUND: Suicidal behavior, especially in young populations such as university students, is currently one of the most concerning health problems worldwide, suicide being the second leading cause of death among students. Although literature is still scarce, one of the risk factors that correlates the most with suicidal behavior in young people appears to be problematic internet use (PIU). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PIU and suicidal behavior in a Spanish university population. METHOD: An ex post facto prospective design was used with a sample of 1,386 Spanish university students (68.7% women and 31.3% men). PIU was assessed by means of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and psychological problems by means of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). RESULTS: The results confirm the relationship between PIU and suicidal behavior, principally alongside those of social isolation and depression, this risk being 3.78 times higher among women with PIU and 5.58 times higher in men. CONCLUSIONS: PIU appears as a risk factor for suicidal behavior that must be taken into account together with social isolation, subjective distress and depression.

Suicidal Behavior and Problematic Internet Use in College Students / Conducta Suicida y Uso Problemático de Internet en Estudiantes Universitarios

Background: Suicidal behavior, especially in young populations such as university students, is currently one of the most concerning health problems worldwide, suicide being the second leading cause of death among students. Although literature is still scarce, one of the risk factors that correlates the most with suicidal behavior in young people appears to be problematic internet use (PIU). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PIU and suicidal behavior in a Spanish university population. Method: An ex post facto prospective design was used with a sample of 1,386 Spanish university students (68.7% women and 31.3% men). PIU was assessed by means of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and psychological problems by means of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Results: The results confirm the relationship between PIU and suicidal behavior, principally alongside those of social isolation and depression, this risk being 3.78 times higher among women with PIU and 5.58 times higher in men. Conclusions: PIU appears as a risk factor for suicidal behavior that must be taken into account together with social isolation, subjective distress and depression.(AU)

Antecedentes: La conducta suicida, sobre todo en población joven como la universitaria, es actualmente uno de los problemas de salud que más preocupa a nivel mundial, siendo el suicidio la segunda causa de muerte en esta población. Aunque la literatura aún es escasa, parece que el uso problemático de Internet (UPI) se muestra como uno de los factores de riesgo que más correlaciona con la conducta suicida en jóvenes. El objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar la relación entre el UPI y la conducta suicida en población universitaria española. Método: Se utilizó un diseño prospectivo ex post facto con una muestra universitaria española de 1,386 (68.7% mujeres y 31.3% hombres), evaluando el UPI mediante el Internet Addiction Test (IAT) y los problemas psicológicos mediante el Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Resultados: Los resultados obtenidos confirman la relación existente entre el UPI y la conducta suicida, en relación también con el aislamiento social y la depresión principalmente, siendo este riesgo 3.78 veces mayor entre las mujeres con UPI y de 5.58 en hombres. Conclusiones: El UPI se presenta como un factor de riesgo para el suicido a tener en cuenta junto con el aislamiento social, la angustia subjetiva y la depresión.(AU)