Abstract

The objective was to identify associations between perceived social support, suicidal risk and the presence of chronic or communicable disease in university students. Using a case-control design, consisting of 41 subjects in each group. The median age was 22 years (R = 9), 81,8% were women, 26,8% of the subjects had asthma and 26,8% had hypothyroidism, 63,6% were students of the faculties of Education. The association between chronic disease and social support was not proven, nor was there a suicidal risk. There is an indirect association between suicide risk and social support, not so when assessing the previous suicide attempt. The levels of suicide risk and social support are associated, independent of an existing chronic disease. We are hopeful that our results will be effective in promoting social support as a basic tool for suicide prevention, especially in subjects with chronic disease.