Extracurricular Involvement and Anxiety in Relation to Suicide Ideation among College Students

Little research exists on college students’ extracurricular involvement as it relates to anxiety and suicidal ideation. The current study seeks to examine the relationships between extracurricular involvement, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. First, it was hypothesized that increased extracurricular involvement would relate to increased anxiety. Second, increased anxiety was expected to mediate the relationship between involvement and explicit suicidal ideation. Third, increased anxiety was expected to mediate the relationship between involvement and implicit suicidal ideation. Fourth, it was expected that thwarted belongingness would be a more accurate predictor of suicidal ideation than perceived burdensomeness. The sample included 80 undergraduates with a mean age of 19.11 (SD=2.06). Participants completed multiple self-report questionnaires and a computerized task that measured implicit suicidal ideation. Results indicated that increased involvement was related to decreased anxiety. Lower anxiety was significantly associated with decreased explicit suicidal ideation. No significant relationships were found among involvement, anxiety, and implicit suicidal ideation. Results from this study could offer valuable insight into factors that contribute to or lessen suicidal ideation