2025 Volume 34 Issue 2 Pages 149-157
Suicide prevention is a critical global public health issue. In Japan, suicide remains the leading cause of death among young people. Effective prevention requires individuals with suicidal ideation to recognize their condition and seek timely assistance from specialized medical institutions, such as psychiatric hospitals. The purpose of this study was to clarify the help-seeking process and related factors among university students with suicidal ideation, building on previous research on student counseling agencies and assuming an eight-stage help-seeking process─from recognizing suicidal ideation to seeking help from psychiatric institutions. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 509 medical university students, with 444 (mean age＝ 21.5 years, SD＝ 1.41) providing complete responses for analysis. Results indicated that approximately 80% of respondents intended to seek help for suicidal ideation, with friends and family being the most common sources of support. Factors facilitating the help-seeking process included female gender, severity of the problem, high social support, low depressive symptoms, and high trust in psychiatric institutions. In addition, low severity of depressive symptoms and low stigma tolerance were associated with actively seeking help from friends and family. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention before depression worsens and the need for educational initiatives to increase stigma tolerance and enhance the ability of friends and family members to provide appropriate support and encourage professional help-seeking.
