Introduction: Suicide is a multicausal phenomenon and constitutes a worldwide public health problem. In the medical students´ population, it constitutes the second most common cause of death followed by accidents and is due to great loads of stress, depressión, etc.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of suicidal behavior in medical students between 18 and 24 years of the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla linked to risk factors.

Material and Methodology: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach was conducted in a non-probabilistic sample obtained by a quota of medical students. The questionnaire was self-administered, answered voluntarily and confidentially via email by the students. It included the following psychometric instruments: family Apgar, CAGE scale, Beck questionnaire (BDI-II). and Plutchik. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and t-test (p <0,05) were applied. The instruments were interpreted according to the scores of the questionnaires, in addition to the demographic variables.

Results: From a total of 350 students, 72,3% (n = 253) were women and 27,7% (n = 97) men. The mean age was 20,137 years (SD 1,60355) and the suicide prevalence was 22,9%. The students´ t-test showed that suicide risk, and depression have a higher incidence in women. Pearson’s correlation (p<0,05) between Plutchik-BDI-II scores was, r=0,802; between Plutchik- Apgar, r=-0,558 and finally between Beck (BDI-II)-Apgar, r=0,573. According to the Plutchik questionnaire, 24,57% of the sample have thought about committing suicide and 5,14% have tried it.

Conclusions: Suicidal behavior is frequent in medical students.

Cristina Lopez Garcia graduated in biology from Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) and holds a Master of Science degree from Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV). She also obtained a Master’s degree in Human and Educational Development from Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP). During her academic training, she participated in student exchange programs in France and Canada. She has been a teacher for more than 20 years at various institutions and educational levels. She began teaching at UPAEP in 2006 as an adjunct professor. Throughout her academic career at the Faculty of Medicine, she has collaborated with the Undergraduate Internship and Social Service Coordination, focusing on logistics and evaluation. She has taught various subjects, with the principal ones being: Research in the Community, Basics of Biochemistry, Human Molecular Genetics, and Embryology. Additionally, she serves as Liaison Tutor to the Dean of Medical Sciences and works with the student assistance and monitoring program, Programa de Apoyo y Seguimiento a Estudiantes (PASE), providing support to students considered at academic risk, as well as to those in need of assistance. Her role involves promoting personal development and emotional skills training, which are crucial in today’s world for prioritizing mental health. During her Master’s studies, she published research on cancer biology. Recently, she has published work on the socio-emotional aspects of university students. Cristina has also participated in Congresses and National Tutoring Meetings, as well as in Expociencias Puebla, where she earned two national accreditations (Sonora, 2020, and Durango, 2021) and an international accreditation to present at the London International Youth Science Forum in 2022. Her project on suicidal tendencies in medical students represents one of the main lines of research she has developed. She greatly enjoys teaching, tutoring, and research, and is passionate about contributing to the comprehensive education of students, preparing them for a world that increasingly demands emotional resilience and mental health awareness.