135 Abstract.฀ Objective:฀ The฀ authors฀ investigated฀ the฀ personality฀ characteristics,฀psychopathology,฀parenting฀style,฀and฀family฀func- tion฀among฀Taiwanese฀college฀students฀with฀high,฀moderate,฀and฀ low฀ suicidal฀ risks.฀ Participants:฀ The฀ sample฀ included฀ 2,919฀ first-year฀ college฀ students฀ (1,414฀ men,฀ 1,505฀ women)฀ from฀ a฀ university฀in฀Taipei,฀Taiwan.฀ Methods:฀A฀self-administered฀ques- tionnaire฀ assessed฀ domains฀ covering฀ demographics,฀ personality,฀ psychopathology,฀ frequency฀ of฀ substance฀ use,฀ parenting฀ style,฀ family฀ functioning,฀ and฀ suicidal฀ behaviors.฀ The฀ authors฀ used฀ mixed฀ models฀ for฀ data฀ analysis.฀ Results:฀ The฀ authors฀ observed฀ a฀ positive฀ linear฀ trend฀ between฀ increased฀ suicidal฀ tendency฀ and฀ levels฀of฀neuroticism,฀harm฀avoidance,฀novelty฀seeking,฀psychopa- thology,฀and฀parenting฀styles฀of฀low฀affection,฀overprotection,฀and฀ authoritarian฀controlling.฀Use฀of฀tobacco฀and฀alcohol฀and฀impaired฀ family฀ adaptation฀ and฀ cohesion฀ were฀ associated฀ with฀ high฀ and฀ moderate฀suicidal฀risks.฀ Conclusions:฀Personality,฀psychopathol- ogy,฀substance฀use,฀and฀familial฀factors฀are฀important฀correlates฀of฀ suicidal฀risks฀among฀college฀students฀in฀Taiwan.฀Optimal฀suicide฀ prevention฀strategies฀in฀the฀college฀setting฀should฀incorporate฀the฀ multiple฀facets฀of฀suicidal฀risks.฀ Keywords:฀ college฀students,฀parenting฀style,฀personality,฀psycho- pathology,฀suicidal฀risk uicide฀ is฀ one฀ of฀ the฀ leading฀ causes฀ of฀ death฀ among฀ young฀adults฀worldwide. 1,2 ฀Many฀parts฀of฀the฀world฀ experienced฀a฀marked฀increase฀in฀suicide฀rate฀in฀the฀ 15–24฀age฀group฀after฀1950. 3 ฀In฀Asian฀countries,฀however,฀ youth฀ suicide฀ rates฀ have฀ not฀ experienced฀ such฀ an฀ acute฀ increase฀ as฀ have฀ been฀ observed฀ in฀ the฀Western฀ world. 4 ฀ In฀ S Risk Factors for Suicide in Taiwanese College Students Susan Shur-Fen Gau, MD, PhD; Ying-Yeh Chen, MD, ScD; Fang-Ju Tsai, MD; Ming-Been Lee, MD; Yen-Nan Chiu, MD; Wei-Tsuen Soong, MD, FRCP(C); Hai-Gwo Hwu, MD the฀recent฀period,฀a฀small,฀gradual฀increase฀in฀youth฀suicide฀ rates฀has฀been฀observed฀in฀some฀Asian฀countries.฀In฀Taiwan,฀ for฀ example,฀ youth฀ suicide฀ rates฀ were฀ 4.40฀ per฀ 100,000฀ population฀ in฀ 1994฀ and฀ increased฀ to฀ 6.21฀ per฀ 100,000฀ population฀ in฀ 2004.฀ During฀ this฀ period,฀ suicide฀ death฀ has฀ jumped฀ from฀ the฀ third฀ leading฀ cause฀ of฀ death฀ (accounting฀ for฀ 4.5%฀ of฀ deaths)฀ to฀ the฀ second฀ leading฀ cause฀ of฀ death฀ (accounting฀ for฀ 10.5%฀ of฀ deaths)฀ among฀ the฀ 15−24฀ age฀ group. 5 ฀Investigating฀antecedents฀and฀correlates฀of฀suicidal฀ behaviors฀is฀thus฀important฀in฀tackling฀this฀disturbing฀trend฀ of฀youth฀suicide. Suicide฀ is฀ not฀ an฀ isolated฀ event;฀ it฀ is฀ a฀ sequence฀ of฀ process฀ starting฀ from฀ death฀ wishes,฀ suicidal฀ ideation,฀ sui- cidal฀ contemplation,฀ suicide฀ attempt,฀ and,฀ finally,฀ suicide฀ completion. 6,7 ฀ Studies฀ have฀ shown฀ that฀ different฀ types฀ of฀ suicidal฀ cognitions฀ (eg,฀ death฀ wishes,฀ suicidal฀ ideations,฀ suicide฀plan)฀and฀behaviors฀(eg,฀suicide฀attempt,฀committed฀ suicide)฀ share฀ common฀ determinant฀ factors,฀ such฀ as฀ per- sonality฀characteristics,฀psychopathology,฀parenting฀styles,฀ family฀function,฀and฀substance฀abuse. 7–9 ฀Findings฀from฀one฀ longitudinal฀study฀demonstrated฀that฀individuals฀character- ized฀ by฀ high฀ levels฀ of฀ novelty฀ seeking฀ and฀ neurotic฀ traits฀ were฀more฀vulnerable฀to฀both฀suicidal฀ideation฀and฀suicide฀ attempt. 10 ฀ Psychopathology—such฀ as฀ anxiety,฀ depression,฀ psychosis,฀ and฀ substance฀ use฀ disorders—has฀ consistently฀ been฀ reported฀ to฀ be฀ associated฀ with฀ a฀ variety฀ of฀ suicid- al฀ expressions. 11,12 ฀ Inappropriate฀ parenting฀ styles—either฀ overprotection฀ or฀ inadequate฀ care—and฀ poor฀ family฀ func- tion฀significantly฀increase฀the฀risks฀of฀suicidal฀ideation฀and฀ suicide฀attempts. 13,14 ฀ Although฀previous฀researchers฀have฀documented฀the฀asso- ciation฀between฀the฀previously฀mentioned฀risk฀factors฀and฀a฀ variety฀ of฀ suicidal฀ intent฀ and฀ behaviors,฀ these฀ factors฀ have฀ not฀been฀well฀investigated฀in฀the฀Chinese฀population.฀Further- more,฀the฀linear฀relationship฀between฀suicidal฀risk฀factors฀and฀ suicidal฀intent฀has฀not฀been฀well฀established.฀In฀other฀words,฀ Drs฀Gau,฀Lee,฀Chiu,฀Soong,฀and฀Hwu฀are฀with฀the฀Department฀ of฀ Psychiatry฀ at฀ National฀ Taiwan฀ University฀ Hospital,฀ Taipei.฀ Drs฀Gau,฀Lee,฀Soong,฀and฀Hwu฀are฀also฀with฀the฀Department฀of฀ Psychiatry,฀College฀of฀Medicine฀at฀National฀Taiwan฀University.฀Dr฀ Chen฀is฀with฀Taipei฀City฀Hospital,฀Songde฀Branch,฀Taipei,฀Taiwan,฀ and฀ the฀ College฀ of฀ Medicine฀ at฀ National฀Yang฀ Ming฀ University,฀ Taiwan.฀ Dr฀Tsai฀is฀with฀the฀Department฀of฀Psychiatry฀at฀En฀Chu฀ Kong฀Hospital,฀Taipei,฀Taiwan. Copyright฀©฀2008฀Heldref฀Publications JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH, VOL. 57, NO. 2