The Relationship Between Academic Stress and Suicidal Ideation Among Undergraduates in Oyo State, Nigeria

The study examined the relationship between academic stress and suicidal ideation among undergraduates in Oyo State, Nigeria. The descriptive survey of correlational type was adopted for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 420 respondents from three universities in Oyo State. The research instrument, “Academic Stress and Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (ASSIQ)” was used to collect data from the respondents. The findings revealed that there were high levels of academic stress and suicidal ideation among undergraduates in Oyo State. A significant relationship was found between academic stress and suicidal ideation (r= 0.199, p<.05). Another finding showed that academic stress had a significant relationship with respondent’s gender (r = 0.328, p < 0.05); age (r = 0.298, p < 0.05); class level (r = 0.228, p < 0.05); place of residence (r = 0.210, p < 0.05); and course of study (r = 0.301, P < 0.05). Findings also revealed that suicidal ideation had a significant relationship with respondent’s gender (r = 0.177, p < 0.05); class level (r = 0.163, P < 0.05); and place of residence (r = 0.176, p < 0.05), while no relationship was found based on age (r = 0.017, p > 0.05) and course of study (r = 0.047, p >0.05). It was therefore, recommended that undergraduates experiencing academic stress in tertiary institutions in Oyo State should seek guidance and counselling services to prevent situations that can lead to suicidal ideation.