3 - (IOP 23) ADHD Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation Among College Students in Chile: The Protective Role of In-person Social Interactions

College can be a challenging time for students with ADHD given increased academic demands and more complex social interactions. Prior research has highlighted the risk that ADHD confers on suicidal ideation, though less work has focused on moderators for this association. Additionally, existent research has been conducted predominantly among American and White samples. Given the consequences associated with suicidal ideation (especially in conjunction with ADHD), it is also important to examine what factors may protect against these outcomes among understudied groups. In-person and online social interaction may reduce that risk.

College students (n=7129; Mage= 18.98 years, 2.85; 66.9% female) across 5 Chilean universities completed measures on ADHD, suicidal ideation (SI), and degree of in-person and online social interactions. A positive screen for ADHD was indicated by clinically significant levels of symptoms (via the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale) that began before the age of 12. Logistic regressions were performed to ascertain the effects of sex, age, gender, parent education, and ADHD on the likelihood that participants had experienced SI in the past 12-months. Moderation analyses were used to determine the protective effect of social interaction on ADHD and SI.

Descriptive statistics indicated that 10.2% of students had a positive screen for ADHD that began at 12 years or before and 37.2% of students reported experiencing suicidal ideation in the past year. Controlling for all co-variates, those with a positive ADHD screen have odds of experiencing past-12-month SI that are 3 times greater than those with a negative ADHD screen (p <.001). Importantly, frequency of in-person interactions (but not virtual/online interactions) protected against the effect of ADHD on SI (β= -.22, p<.001).

This is the first study to suggest that ADHD is associated with higher odds of experiencing suicidal ideation among Chilean college students. Importantly, increasing levels of in-person social interactions were protective against SI. Clinicians as well as university administrators should find ways to increase in-person connections (e.g., through behavioral activation) to ameliorate the risk for SI, especially among those high in ADHD symptoms.