Abstract / Summary
Purpose: Parental notification is a standard protocol in Chinese university suicide prevention, driven by family responsibility norms and institutional risk management. However, limited research has examined students' perspectives on this practice. This study explored how Chinese university students experienced parental notification following suicidal ideation and its perceived influence on trust, help-seeking, and family support. Methods: Twenty-five Chinese university students who experienced suicidal ideation and subsequent parental notification by university administrators (including social workers, counsellors, and psychologists) participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis within a phenomenological approach. Results: Three themes were identified: (1) Parental notification as institutional betrayal, (2) Parental notification as collaborative support, and (3) Factors shaping students' experiences of parental notification. For some participants, parental notification resulted in breaches of trust, intensified family conflict, reduced confidence in university mental health services, and decreased willingness to seek help. Conversely, other participants described parental notification as supportive when delivered with empathy, transparent communication, collaborative decision-making, and appropriate follow-up, leading to strengthened family relationships and continued services engagement. Participants further identified institutional communication practices, pre-existing family relationships, and availability of ongoing support as key factors shaping their experience. Conclusion: Students considered parental notification neither inherently beneficial nor harmful, its acceptability depended on how it was implemented. The findings highlight the need for ethically informed, person-centred parental notification practices within university suicide prevention. Future research should evaluate the implementation of structured parental notification protocols that promote informed participation, trauma-informed communication, family engagement, and coordinated follow-up care across university mental health services.