College Student Use of 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for Substance Use Limited

Students less likely to use 988 Lifeline for substance use concerns compared with other mental health concerns

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — College students are less likely to use the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for substance use than for other mental health concerns, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in the Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling.

Afroze N. Shaikh, from Georgia State University in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the potential for the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which offers free 24/7 crisis support, for addressing the low levels of help-seeking for students with substance use.

The researchers found that among a sample of 446 college students, more frequent substance use significantly predicted lower help-seeking intentions for suicidal thoughts. Compared with other mental health concerns, students were least likely to use the lifeline for substance use concerns.

“These findings highlight the need to assess public messaging campaigns specific to helplines, and the 988 Lifeline in particular, in order to impact both help-seeking intentions and behavior,” the authors write. “Despite the availability of services, further efforts may be needed in order to make this known to the public and across college campuses.”