Factors related to suicidal ideation in adolescents

Includes bibliographical references

Suicide ideation of individuals in online social networks

Suicide explains the largest number of death tolls among Japanese adolescents in their twenties and thirties. Suicide is also a major cause of death for adolescents in many other countries. Although social isolation has been implicated to influence the tendency to suicidal behavior, the impact of social isolation on suicide in the context of explicit social networks of individuals is scarcely explored. To address this question, we examined a large data set obtained from a social networking service dominant in Japan. The social network is composed of a set of friendship ties between pairs of users created by mutual endorsement. We carried out the logistic regression to identify users' characteristics, both related and unrelated to social networks, which contribute to suicide ideation. We defined suicide ideation of a user as the membership to at least one active user-defined community related to suicide. We found that the number of communities to which a user belongs to, the intransitivity (i.e., paucity of triangles including the user), and the fraction of suicidal neighbors in the social network, contributed the most to suicide ideation in this order. Other characteristics including the age and gender contributed little to suicide ideation. We also found qualitatively the same results for depressive symptoms.Comment: 4 figures, 9 table

Substance Use and Suicidal Behaviors Among Young Adults

The purpose of this paper is to examine the causal impact of alcohol and illicit drug use on suicidal behaviors among college students. Every year, more American youth die from suicide than from all leading natural causes of death combined. Substance use has been identified as a leading risk factor in suicidal behaviors. We use instrumental variables to estimate a structural model of suicidal thoughts and attempts. A reduced form equation is also estimated which directly relates the determinants of alcohol and drug use to suicidal behaviors. Data come from the Core Institute's Alcohol and Drug Surveys of College Students. The results are consistent with a causal mechanism from alcohol and illicit drug consumption to suicide thoughts and attempts.

School Based Responses to Non-Suicidal Self Injury and Suicide: Literature Considerations When Framing a Policy Response

Deliberate Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI) and suicide present distinct but related concerns for schools. An Australian study of over 6,300 families containing children/ adolescents aged 4 to 17 years found that one in 10 young people had engaged with NSSI – with three quarters of this cohort having harmed themselves in the previous twelve months (Lawrence, 2015). The same study found that within the 12 to 17 year old age group, one in 13 individuals had considered suicide in the previous 12 months, with one in 40 having made attempts (Lawrence, 2015). This article seeks to articulate key themes from literature that demand consideration by schools seeking to construct their own framework or pastoral response, balancing the prioritization of student safety whilst also attending to the realities of staff competencies. Given the age group presented in the Lawrence (2015) study, it should not be surprising that adolescents in the school context may disclosure the presence of intrusive thoughts pertaining to at-risk behaviours. Consequently, schools are well placed to deliver prevention services and simultaneously, need to be prepared to respond to situations of NSSI and suicide attempts. Drawing on the expertise of staff from an Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) school located in Brisbane, this paper draws links to existing policy determinants of pastoral care from within this Catholic school, whilst considering the issue of risk-to-self with relevant themes organized according to the three action areas outlined by the Queensland Suicide Action Prevention Plan (Queensland Mental Health Commission, 2015) namely: prevention; intervention; and postvention

Rorschach assessment in suicide survivors: Focus on suicidal ideation

Background: The study of Suicidal ideation (SI) in people bereaved through suicide (Suicide Survivors, SSs) could be hampered by the person's willingness to admit it, or by their limited awareness of it. Our main hypothesis is that SI is common in these people, especially if they are parents or children of the victim. For its potential in shedding light on specific unconscious processes, Rorschach test was chosen for our investigation, for the first time in SSs literature. Rorschach suicide ideation and selected variables were further analyzed to better delineate their psychological profile. Method: Rorschach according to Exner's Comprehensive System was administered to 21 people bereaved through suicide presenting as outpatients at SOPROXI Project Service-Padova Mental Health Center- and 23 healthy controls. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was routinely administered to SSs and considered in the study. Results: T-tests showed significantly higher mean SI score (S-Con) as it emerged from the Rorschach test S-Con scores in SSs compared to control participants. SI found only weak correlation with the BDI item in which SSs can explicitly state the desire for their death. Within-group analysis revealed higher S-Con mean scores in bereaved children and parents of the victim compared to other kind of kinships. Morbid content (MOR) has been fund as the most characterizing variable in SSs' S-Con in terms of effect size, followed by a low number of responses with an ordinary form (X +%). Human movements (M), Special Scores related to thought slippage (ALOG, FABCOM2, INCOM2, and CONTAM) and poor human representations (PHR) have been shown to be more significantly present in SSs compared controls. Discussion: Psychodynamic interpretations of our results are provided. Clinical practice should consider Rorschach as one of eligible tools of investigation on this field

Minority-specific Determinants of Mental Well-being Among Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth

This study discusses the impact of stress specific to being lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), measured by means of the concepts of stigma consciousness and internalized homonegativity, on the mental well-being of LGB youth. Also, the effects of positive and negative social support were considered within the model. The sample consisted of 743 LGBs less than 26 years old who were recruited during the online ZZZIP survey in Flanders, Belgium. Hierarchical regression shows that LGB-specific unsupportive social interactions have the greatest direct effect on mental well-being of LGB youth, followed respectively by stigma consciousness, internalized homonegativity, and confidant support

Ethnicity and deliberate self-injury: A review of the literature

Deliberate self-injury is a significant social problem affecting youth in New Zealand. Rates of hospitalisation for youth (aged 15 to 19) from deliberate self-injury approximate 225 per 100,000. It appears that the rates for Maori and women are significantly higher. From 1987 to 1993, an average of 488 Maori women per 100 000 population have been hospitalised each year (Ministry of Health: Manatu Hauora, 1996). This paper draws upon both local and international literature to examine factors underlying this ethnic disparity. There is a wealth of literature examining risk factors underlying suicidal behaviour as a whole. Deliberate self-injury is usually assumed to be an adjunct of youth suicide; prevention strategies are conflated. This paper argues that this assumption is untenable, and in particular, that prevention strategies designed for youth suicide are problematic in terms of deliberate selfinjury. While prevention strategies are based upon studies that do not differentiate between these groups, results will be compromised

Purpose in Life and Conscientiousness Protect Against the Development of Suicidal Ideation in U.S. Military Veterans With PTSD and MDD: Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

Background:Although several studies have examined risk factors for suicidal ideation among veterans, little is known about risk and protective factors for suicidal ideation in high-risk veteran samples. Thus, this study examined a broad range of risk and protective factors associated with the development of suicidal ideation in a high-risk sample of U.S. veterans who screened positive for current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods:Data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative, prospective cohort study of U.S. veterans. Veterans completed self-report measures to screen for PTSD and MDD and to assess for risk and protective factors. The sample included 222 veterans with PTSD and/or MDD who did not endorse suicidal ideation at baseline and completed at least one assessment over a seven-year follow-up period. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine baseline factors associated with incident suicidal ideation. Results:Nearly one in three (27.1%) of veterans with PTSD and/or MDD developed suicidal ideation over the seven-year follow-up period. Non-Caucasian race and lower scores on measures of purpose in life, conscientiousness, and frequency of religious service attendance were independently associated with incident suicidal ideation. Lower purpose in life (52.3%) and conscientiousness (33.2%) explained the vast majority of variance in incident suicidal ideation. Conclusion:Nearly 30% of veterans with PTSD and/or MDD who did not endorse suicidal ideation at baseline developed suicidal ideation over a seven-year period. Prevention and treatment efforts designed to bolster purpose in life and conscientiousness may help mitigate risk for suicidal ideation in this high-risk population

Suicidal Risk at a College Counseling Center: Correlates at Intake and Therapeutic Outcomes

Suicidal risk is examined within the population of college students entering therapy. College student suicidal risk factors are examined among those entering therapy. Based on suicidal risk presented at intake, subsequent outcomes, with respect to treatment duration and mental health functioning, are evaluated. Participants include 1717 students aged 18-22 receiving therapy services at the Johns Hopkins University Counseling Center. Measures included the Personal Identification Form, Problem Checklist, and Behavioral Health Questionnaire-20. Various demographic (race/ethnicity), clinical (previous treatment and referral source), emotional (depression, anxiety, and substance abuse), and collegiate (thwarted belongingness, academic stress, and identity confusion) factors were associated with increased suicidal risk presented at intake. Initial suicidal risk was also associated with treatment duration and changes in self-reported levels of distress, symptoms, impairment, and global mental health. Implications and future directions are discussed

The mental health of children and adolescents: report on the second Australian child and adolescent survey of mental health and wellbeing

FOREWORD This report provides compelling reading for everyone interested in the health and wellbeing of Australian children and adolescents. Based on a survey conducted in the homes of over 6,300 families with children and/or adolescents aged 4 to 17 years, the report presents a comprehensive picture of the mental health of young Australians. It documents the prevalence and type of mental health problems, the impact of those problems on families and young people themselves and the role of health and education services in providing assistance. While the primary sources of information were parents and carers, the survey also engaged directly with young people 11 years and older who completed their own survey. This information provides unique insights about aspects of their emotional lives and behaviour that are generally not visible to parents and carers