Fatores associados ao risco de suicídio em pós-graduandos stricto sensu

Abstract

Introduction: Taking a postgraduate course is hard work with an intense demand for studies, and at this stage students may have risk factors for suicide, such as sociodemographic, health and academic factors. Objective: to analyze the factors associated with the risk of suicide in stricto-sensu graduate students. Methodology: cross-sectional, analytical study, with 565 graduate students from a public university in the center-west of Brazil between August and September 2019. For data collection, a sociodemographic questionnaire was used; Depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21); Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), using module C to assess current suicide risk. Data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Research approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee, nº 3,462,827. Results: The average suicide risk score was 4.56, corresponding to low risk. As for anxiety symptoms, the average of 12.82 indicated moderate symptoms, for depressive symptoms 11.22 (SD±10.78) represented mild risk, and for stress the average of 17.30 demonstrated mild symptoms. The set of variables retained in the final model explained 28.9% of the outcome studied, and the depression variable was the one with the greatest explanatory power. Also associated with suicide risk were being of a minority sexual orientation and disagreeing that academic work was inspiring and meaningful. Conclusion: an association was found between suicide risk and sociodemographic, academic and health variables, highlighting those that remained in the final model, depression, minority sexual orientation and disagreeing that academic work is inspiring and meaningful. Since there was an association of suicide risk with this population, the need for attention is highlighted, with mental health projects within the academic field that can help to alleviate the symptoms, providing a welcoming environment.