Ideação suicida em estudantes universitários : revisão integrativa

Abstract

1 in every 100 deaths in the world is due to suicide. Suicide is also the 4th most recurrent cause of death worldwide and in the population between 15 - 29 years old. Taking into account the academic scope, a survey carried out in Brasília/DF with 1567 nursing students showed that 181 of them had already attempted suicide at least once. Aiming at increasing student suicide rates, correlated with mental disorders, it is clear that this is not only a problem for universities, but also public health. Therefore, it is essential to promote a study aimed at these students, researching ideas to reduce these indicators and sensitize health professionals. The objective of this work is to evaluate the scientific evidence available in the literature on suicidal ideation in university students. The research method adopted was the integrative literature review (IR), guided by the questions: “What makes university students commit suicide?” and “What measures should be taken to reduce the suicide rate in academia?”, which went through four stages for its elaboration. Thus, electronic searches were carried out in the databases via VHL, PUBMED, and SCIELO using the PICO* strategy. The descriptors defined were: “Suicidal Ideation”, “Students”, and “Suicide”. Only works between 2017 and 2023 were selected, with full and free texts. The IR was composed of 21 titles. The most frequent mental health disorders among students with suicidal ideation were: depression, anxiety, alcohol, and drug abuse. Other extremely relevant factors were: gender minorities, socioeconomic vulnerability, academics from courses in the health area, and beliefs. With the socio-demographic profile traced, the possibilities for interventions become broader. Therefore, we believe that the university must promote an environment of emotional support for the student. Measures related to economic vulnerability, such as student aid and paid tutoring grants, require greater coverage - and, as seen in the study, academics with low income have bigger suicidal tendencies. Given the above, we suggest creating individual or collective spaces that carry out prevention and health promotion for students, which will even contribute to improving the quality of life. This IR can contribute to the awareness and awareness of coordinators, professors, deans, and servants, for the elaboration of actions and strategies that promote prevention, diagnosis, and early treatment, aspiring to welcome students in a state of mental suffering.