Academic Stress and Loneliness as Correlates of Suicide Ideation among University Students

Suicide, a major preventable public health issue, poses a challenge to each and every nation and society. Suicide statistics are available for almost all age groups and the under reporting of suicide data is still a challenge. Suicide statistics for India as reported by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB, 2020) mention that 1,53,052 people committed suicide in the year 2020. Furthermore, students account for 8.2% of total suicides in India (NCRB, 2020). Considering the scenario, it has become the need of the hour to study the underlying factors. The present study made an attempt to explore the relationship between academic stress, loneliness and suicide ideation among university students. The sample of the present study comprised of 200 (N=200) university students falling in the age group of 19-26 years. Academic Stress Scale (Kumar et al., 2022), Loneliness Scale (Russell et al.,1980) and Suicide Ideation Scale (Beck, 1991) were used to measure the variables. The findings established a significant positive correlation between academic stress, loneliness and suicide ideation.