Uncovering the mechanism linking education expectation and suicide ideation among students in tertiary education: The mediating role of academic burnout, psychache, and hopelessness

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337831 December 18, 2025 2 / 16 An analysis of student samples from 36 tertiary education institutions (16 from North America, 12 from Asia, 6 from Europe, and 2 from Africa) found a lifetime prevalence rate of 22.3% for suicidal ideation and 3.2% for suicide attempts and a 12-month prevalence rate of 10.62% for suicidal ideation and 1.2% for suicide attempts [2]. Similarly, a review of 46 articles from 40 countries reported a prevalence of 18.8% for suicide ideation among university students [3]. A cross-national study of colleges in 11 Muslim countries reported that 34% of students reported having suicidal ideation during their studies [4]. These studies highlight a concerning rate of student suicides globally. Suicide is also a leading cause of mortality among youths in the Western Pacific. The World Health Organization revealed a suicide rate of 17.18 per 100,000 among 15–29-year-olds in the Western Pacific based on data collected in 2021 [5]. Malay- sia, Singapore, and Australia are examples of multicultural societies in the Western Pacific with concerning rates of youth suicide. In Malaysia, there is an increased rate of suicide attempts, planning, and thoughts among youth (13–17 years old) between the years 2011 and 2012 [6]. In Singapore, suicide was the leading cause of death among those aged 10–29 years old in 2019 [7]. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [8] recorded a total of 384 suicide deaths among 18–24-year-olds in 2019.

Several studies have reported that the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour among students varies across cultures [9,10]. A review of suicide deaths among youths (15–19 years) across 90 countries found that suicides in European nations were significantly lower than in non-European nations [11]. In another comparison, Snowdon et al. [12] found that the rate of suicides among youths between the years 2009 and 2013 was higher in Japan than in the United States. The study also found that suicide rates among male students were higher in Australia than in Hong Kong, while suicide rates among female students were higher in Hong Kong than in Austra- lia [12]. The disparity in youth and student suicide rates between the East and West may point to the differences in the pressure to meet educational expectations. Educational expectations Educational expectations refer to the belief towards the accomplishment of academic short-term and long-term goals. Morshidi et al. [13] identified four main sources of educational expectations perceived by students in tertiary education: the self, par- ents, educators, and culture. An examination of suicide notes in Singapore between the years 2000 and 2004 found that most suicide notes left by younger victims often cited school-related reasons such as not meeting high educational expectations and exam pressures [14]. Students who feel that they are incapable of fulfilling expecta- tions reported an increased risk of psychological distress, shame, embarrassment, hopelessness [15], burnout [16], and suicide [17,18]. When examined further, the

sources of educational expectation can be classified into two distinct categories: internal expectations and external expectations. Internal expectations are developed and imposed by oneself, while external expectations are developed and imposed by others, such as family, friends, educa- tors, the academic institution, or culture. Several studies have noted a significant link which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data availability statement: The datasets and output supporting the conclusions of this article are available in figshare: https://figshare. com/projects/Education_expectation_and_sui- cide_ideation/217090. Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.