The present study was designed to see whether the associations of depression and hopelessness with suicidality which have been reported in American and European samples are found in an Arab sample. Questionnaires were completed by 209 Kuwaiti and 144 American undergraduates (aged 18-23 yrs). In these samples, current and prior suicidal preoccupation were associated with measures of psychological disturbance, with depression being the strongest predictor of suicidality in both samples. Although the Kuwaiti students were more depressed than the American students, they reported less prior suicidal preoccupation.