Suicide Risk amongst University Students of Social Work in Spain

Abstract Suicide is a phenomenon existing amongst university students worldwide, generally associated with mental health problems. Although the evidence has revealed a greater psychosocial vulnerability amongst Social Work students, there are few studies that address this reality. This work, thus, has focused on detecting the risk of suicide amongst undergraduate Social Work students at Spanish universities. A total of 511 students (89 per cent female) at eighteen Spanish universities completed an online questionnaire assessing both support and risk factors for suicide. A total of 28.8 per cent reported suicidal ideation, 15.3 per cent planned suicide and 24.9 per cent presented suicide risk. Logistic regression analysis showed that this risk was, understandably, associated with higher depressive symptomatology, lower perceived social support and lower life satisfaction. The results obtained indicate the prevalence of the risk of suicide ideation, planning and the imminent risk of suicide amongst Social Work students at Spanish universities, and this study’s findings have specific implications for the university Social Work community, and for governmental, academic and university bodies in general.