Mental health, suicidality and hopelessness among university students in Turkey

Psychological symptoms of university students can affect perceptions of physical and mental health and can influence the emergence of suicidal behavior. We investigated the association among psychological symptoms, suicidal thoughts, perceptions of physical and mental health in university students. 4330 students at Onsekiz Mart University completed an internet-based questionnaire. 15.1% of the students reported suicidal thoughts at least once in their lifetime. The severity of mental symptoms was found to increase with a decrease in perceived physical and mental health. 28.2% of the students had depression, 33.1% had anxiety. This research aims to contribute to the extensive body of work done regarding the mental health, suicidal thoughts and hopelessness among university students.