Suicidal ideation in medical undergraduates: Do gender and where you grew up matter?

Depression and suicidal ideation pose a significant threat to health and well-being of medical undergraduates in many countries. Sri Lanka has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. A sample of 118 medical undergraduates was surveyed using a self-report anonymous questionnaire to elucidate how gender and where they grew up are related to suicidal ideation. The age range of the sample was 22 to 25 years and there were 65 (55%) female respondents. The prevalence of lifetime suicidal ideation was 22.8%. Logistic regression analysis indicated that females (OR = 2.70; 95% CI: 1.02, 7.13) and those who were from the Southern parts of the country compared to those who were from Mid Country (OR = 2.77; 95% CI: 1.01, 7.63) were more likely to report lifetime suicidal ideation. The findings of this study indicate that substantial variations in suicidal thoughts exist at regional level. As shown in studies conducted in other countries, females, in general, are more susceptible than males to develop suicidal ideation. The wide variations identified between sexes and geographical areas where the undergraduates were grown up in suicidal ideation suggest that different preventive strategies are needed to address the needs of these diverse groups of undergraduates and eliminate health disparities that may exist in this target population.