Mental Health Correlates of Stigma Among College Students With Suicidal Ideation: Data From the 2020–2021 Healthy Minds Study

Suicidal ideation and attempts are stigmatized behaviors, but little is known about the correlates of stigma among young adults with suicidal ideation. Data from the Healthy Minds Study (N = 14,147) were used to test the associations between suicidal ideation and indicators of emotional state nondisclosure, stereotype awareness, and stereotype agreement among college students. Among the subsample of respondents with past-year suicidal ideation (N = 1912), logistic regression was used to test whether stigma measures were associated with mental health outcomes including suicide attempts, self-harm, depression, anxiety, and flourishing. Undergraduate and graduate-level college students with suicidal ideation reported greater stereotype awareness, stereotype agreement, and less willingness to disclose their emotional state compared to those without suicidal ideation. Among those with ideation, all stigma measures were associated with greater likelihood of self-harm, more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms, and less flourishing. The main finding was that suicidal ideation is associated with greater stereotype awareness and agreement among college students, which may have an impact on other aspects of mental health, including potential risk for self-harm and suicidal behavior. Future research is needed to determine the temporality of these associations and to explore potential implications of suicide-related stigma among college students.