Graduate Program

Family and Consumer Studies

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

2006

Thesis Director

Mikki Meadows

Thesis Committee Member

Kathleen O'Rourke

Thesis Committee Member

Mary Lou Hubbard

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore freshmen Midwestern university students' (a) suicidal ideations and attempts, (b) help-seeking resources, and (c) relationships between suicide ideations/attempts and academic focus. Surveys were collected from 126 male and female university freshmen (n = 43 male; n = 83 female). A 15-question survey was designed to explore suicide attempts, ideations, academic majors, and help-seeking resources utilized by freshmen university students. The participants were a convenience sample from 8 freshmen introductory orientation classes. Results indicate: (a) a relationship between suicide ideations/attempts and academic college; (b) freshmen females rely on friends as a help-seeking resource; (c) freshmen males rely on parents as a help-seeking resource; and (d) students who have high school friends that attend the university are less likely to have suicide ideations. However, these relationships are not evident among all freshmen university populations and should be studied in more detail.

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