Abstract: Objective To explore the incidence of suicide exposure and its association with suicide risk in Chinese college
students, and study the modulatory effects of suicide exposure on the relations between life events and suicide risks. Methods
A total of 8202 college students from 12 Chinese colleges and universities in mainland China completed a cross-sectional
survey that included suicidal behaviors questionnaire-revised (SBQ-R), Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List
(ASLEC), suicide exposure questionnaire, social and demographic characteristics questionnaire. Results The incidence of
exposure to suicide events involving close relatives and acquaintances were 3.9% and 11.8% among sampled Chinese college
students, respectively. Students exposed to suicide events involving close relatives had significantly higher total SBQ-R scores
than those who did not (5.51 ± 2.44 vs 4.68 ± 2.11, P<0.01), and suicide events of acquaintances were also associated with
significantly increased total SBQ-R scores (5.51±2.44 vs 4.68±2.11, P<0.01); these suicides events all contributed to significantly
increased rates of suicidal ideation, suicide plans and suicide attempts in the college students (P<0.05). The life events showed
a significant positive correlation with suicide risks (0.11≤r≤0.26, P<0.01). The interactions of exposure to suicide events
involving close relatives and acquaintances and the interactions of life events and suicide of close relatives for suicide risk were
not significant (P>0.05), but exposure to acquaintance suicide events moderated the effects of life events on suicide risk (P<
0.01), and the college students with a high level of life events and history of acquaintance suicide had the highest risk for
suicide. Conclusion In Chinese college students, the risk of suicide is closely associated with exposure to suicide events and
life events, and exposure to suicide events involving acquaintances can modulate the effects of life events on suicide risk.