A Latent Class Analysis of Suicidal Behaviors in Adolescents

Objective@#The purpose of the present study was to identify adolescents’ suicide subgroups using five indicators (depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, and planned and attempted suicide), and explore the distinctive features of each subgroup. @*Methods@#This study included 2,258 teenagers from four schools. Both adolescents and their parents, who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study, completed a series of self-reported questionnaires on depression, anxiety, suicide, self-harm, self-esteem, impulsivity, childhood maltreatment, and deviant behaviors. The data were analyzed using latent class analysis, a person-centered method. @*Results@#Four classes were detected: “high risk for suicide without distress,” “high risk for suicide with distress,” “low risk for suicide with distress,” and “healthy.” The “high risk for suicide with distress” class was the most severe on all evaluated psychosocial risk factors, namely, impulsivity, low self-esteem, self-harming behaviours, deviant behaviour problems, and childhood maltreatment, followed by “high risk for suicide without distress.” @*Conclusion@#This study identified two high risk subgroups for adolescent’ suicidality, “high risk for suicide with or without distress.” Both high risk subgroups for suicide showed higher scores for all psychosocial risk factors than low risk subgroups for suicide. Our findings suggest that special attention needs to be paid to the latent class “high risk for suicide without distress,” as this group’s “cry for help” might be relatively difficult to detect. Specific interventions for each group (e.g., distress safety plans for “suicidal potential with or without emotional distress”) need to be developed and implemented.

Classification of Adolescent Suicide Based on Student Suicide Reports

Exploring the risk factors of adolescent suicide is important for effective suicide prevention. This study explored the clustering of adolescent suicides based on six risk factors: mental disorder, broken family, depression, anxiety, previous suicide attempts, and deviant behaviors. Using 173 student suicide reports obtained from the Ministry of Education, we evaluated the associations between suicide and variables related to mental disorders; dysfunctional family life; depression and anxiety; previous suicide attempts; deviant behaviors such as drinking and smoking; and school life characteristics, including attendance and discipline, problems within the past year, and incidents prior to suicide. In addition, reports of warning signs just before suicide were included in the analysis. The two-stage cluster analysis classified the students into three clusters: the silent type (cluster 1; 48.55%), in which no risk factors were observed; environmental-risk type (cluster 2: 24.28%), which featured a high frequency of broken households, deviant behaviors such as smoking/drinking and running away from home; and depressive type (cluster 3: 27.17%), which featured a high frequency of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts. Identifying the sub-types of adolescent suicide may help to inform tailored suicide prevention and intervention strategies in school.

Risk Factors for Suicidal Ideation and Attempts in Adolescents

OBJECTIVE: Although suicide is a serious public health concern for adolescents, there is a lack of studies that explore its risk factors in the Republic of Korea. The present study aims to investigate risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors in Korean adolescents. METHODS: Participants consisted of 2258 middle and high school students who completed a series of questionnaires regarding suicide ideation or attempts, non-suicidal self-injuries, depression, impulsivity, drinking behaviors, and negative life events, including peer bullying. RESULTS: Among the participants, 8.3% of students reported suicide ideation, while 3.2% reported a history of a suicide attempt in the past 12 months. Depression, peer-victimization, internet-related delinquency, and positive attitudes toward suicide were associated with suicidal ideations and attempts. Adverse life events were also associated with suicide ideation, but not attempts, while not living with both parents and poor family relationships were associated with suicide attempts, but not ideations. Non-suicidal self-injuries were associated with both suicide ideations and attempts. Students with suicidal ideations and attempts can be differentiated depending on the presence of self-injury. CONCLUSION: In addition to depression or behavioral problems, non-suicidal self-injuries and lack of support from family may also play significant roles in suicide attempts in adolescents. To facilitate the prevention of suicide in adolescents, longitudinal studies should be followed to confirm the risk factors identified in this study.

Risky Behavior Subtypes and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents with Depression

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to identify the risky behavior subtypes in adolescents with depression, and the relationship between those subtypes and suicide attempt. METHODS: Ninety adolescents who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-4th edition criteria for major depressive disorder, dysthymia, or depressive disorder not otherwise specified participated in the study. Participants were interviewed about suicidal attempts, non-suicidal self-injuries. Smoking, drinking behaviors, and searching for the word "suicide" on the internet, negative life events including bulling-bullied experiences, and history of abuse were also included with questionnaires. RESULTS: The results of cluster analysis showed that four risky behaviors were divided into three clusters : non-risky type, characterized by few risky behaviors ; delinquency type, which was characterized by smoking and drinking ; non-suicidal self-injury type. In non-suicidal self-injury type, percentage of girls was higher and clinical symptoms were more severe than delinquency type. In addition, delinquency type members could be a bully, while non-suicidal self-injury type members could be abused by a family member. Logistic regression analysis showed that both risky behavior subtypes were significant predictors of suicide attempt. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that two types of risky behaviors of depressed adolescents have an effect on the suicide attempts independently. Then, the implications and limitations of the study were discussed and directions for future studies were suggested.

A Methodological Review of Psychological Autopsy for Adolescents

Recently, local governments and suicide prevention centers have been trying to implement psychological autopsy. This effort has focused on adult suicide so far ; however, there are some difficulties in its application to adolescent suicide. Therefore, in this study, psychological autopsy studies of Korea were reviewed, and a methodology for adolescents\' psychological autopsy was suggested. For the effective performance of the psychological autopsy in adolescent suicide, cooperation with each area of the government and implementation of bodies is necessary. In addition, the central system, which disseminates the standardized interview to the community and manages the data nationwide, should be prepared. Also, in order to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and to obtain various types of information, a structured interview should be adopted as the psychological autopsy, as well as considering the use of social media. Investigation of specific risk factors for adolescent suicide through psychological autopsy can enable determination of the intervention point for effective suicide prevention.

Suicide Prevention Program in Schools : Teacher's Perception of Benefits and Barriers / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to identify the level of awareness regarding school-based suicide prevention programs in teachers who were in charge of the suicide prevention project, and to derive plans for future improvement. METHODS: A total of 582 teachers working in elementary, middle, and high schools across the country participated in this study. For the study, school-based suicide prevention programs were divided into four programs : curriculum-based program, staff in-service training, screening, and postvention ; the teachers' opinions regarding each program were then gathered by conduct of an online survey. RESULTS: The results indicated that participants chose the curriculum-based program as the most easily implementable program (65.6%), and postvention as the most difficult program to implement (52.9%). The curriculum-based program was implementable due to availability of procedure. Evasion of legal responsibility was significantly greater in postvention, making the program more desirable. Barriers to effective implementation include students' and parents' resistance to screening as well as time constraints in staff in-service training. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a variety of preceding conditions must necessarily be prepared for successful implementation of each type of suicide prevention program. Policy implications and future directions are then discussed.