Dataset on Suicide Risk, Substance Abuse, and Family Functioning Among University Students in Cali, Colombia

Globally, one in eight people experience a mental disorder, which constitutes a leading cause of years lived with disability and disproportionately affects young people. Gaps in scientific knowledge have been identified, with limited studies in university students. This article presents an open-access database on mental health and family functioning, collected through a survey of undergraduate students in health sciences programs at a private university in Cali (Colombia). The purpose was to explore suicide risk, substance abuse and family functioning using three structured questionnaires (Family APGAR, Dast-10, and PANSI), together with sociodemographic variables, organized in four sections (family and peer support, substance use, suicidal ideation, and background). The results of the article correspond to the database description, which includes finally 574 records obtained from students of health sciences programs (medicine, dentistry, psychology, prehospital care, nursing, dental mechanics). The data are provided as raw, analyzable files (spreadsheet formats) free of charge from Mendeley Data. In conclusion, the scientific impact of these data lies in their potential to be reused by researchers and higher-education decision-makers for secondary analyses that guide the development of mental and family health interventions for groups linked to undergraduate programs in the health sector.