Parents' marital functioning and adolescent psychopathology were investigated in two studies. Results indicate that parents of inpatients reported less marital satisfaction and more conflicts over child rearing than parents of control-group adolescents, and that marital conflicts over child rearing were associated with a less active…

Analyzes interviews with four self-injuring young women. Suggests the meaning of self-injury is not the same as the meaning of attempted suicide, and that the two acts are related in the sense that self-injury is an adaptive alternative to suicide. The function of self-injury is a communicative act. The extent to with self-injurers can control…

Presents a content analysis of suicide stories in the Israeli Press (1955-90) and measures of real suicide events to highlight the selective, distorted, and reconstructed nature of reporting suicide. Argues that such reporting may account for at least some of the contradictory findings of studies on the impact of publicized suicide stories on…

Examined the unique and combined contributions of race/ethnicity, income, and family structure to adolescent smoking, alcohol use, violence, suicide, and sexual intercourse. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health indicated that though some behaviors appeared to relate to the factors, when taken together, these factors…

New Zealand high school students (N=221) completed a questionnaire that examined the relationship among factors associated with professional psychological help-seeking behavior. Suicidal ideation, attitudes, psychological distress, treatment fears, and gender were some predictors accounting for 23% of students' self-rated help-seeking intentions.…

Explores the experience of psychotherapists (N=100) working with suicidal patients. Findings indicate that suicidal patients can evoke intense feelings within the therapist. Commonly mentioned responses include feelings of hopelessness and helplessness and a sense of failure. Outlines measures vital to the support of therapists and discusses the…

Norwegian students (N=9,679), grades 7-12, were followed in order to determine which variables may account for gender differences in self-reported suicide attempts. Gender differences in previous suicide attempts were significantly reduced when depression was controlled, and was no longer significant when eating disorders were considered. No…

Reports on the preliminary study of a time-limited, out-patient treatment for suicidal adolescents designed to reduce suicidal behavior and psychiatric inpatient admissions along with drop-out rates. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for adolescents seems to be effective in keeping them out of hospital and in treatment. DBT appears to be a…

A study assessed prevalence of date violence and rape in 81,247 adolescents. Approximately 9% of girls and 6% of boys had experienced date violence or rape. Date violence and rape was associated with higher rates of disordered eating behaviors and suicidal thoughts and attempts, and lower emotional well-being and self-esteem. (Contains…

The articles in this special issue from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of nearly lethal suicide attempts represents an important contribution to research on suicidal behavior. This commentary highlights certain aspects of this line of research as well as comments on the findings of the CDC study and their relationship…

This study evaluates the ability of the hopelessness theory of depression's etiological chain to account for this relation in a sample of 297 undergraduates. Results indicated that emotional, but not physical or sexual, maltreatment was uniquely related to average levels of suicidal ideation across a 2.5-year follow-up. (Author)

The parent of a murdered daughter (who is also an educator) examines student potential for violence and suicide and stresses the importance of early intervention for violence prevention. Teachers are urged to establish meaningful connections with students to identify students who fit the profile of alienation that typifies those who actually…

Evaluated internalized and externalized anger in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Results indicated that internalized anger led to depression and feelings of hopelessness and increased chances of suicide attempts. In contrast, externalized anger was related to alcohol-related problems. Thus, different modes of anger expression appear to be…

Examined Modified Scale for Suicide Ideation (MSSI) scores for 198 suicidal men during suicidal crisis, prior to entry into treatment study, and again at 1-month and 12-month follow ups. Found evidence for decreased suicidality, but this was interpreted as the gradual action of interpersonal support, rather than as emotional catharsis. (BF)

Compared weekly activities among four groups of high risk and typical high school students: potential dropouts at suicide risk; typical youth at suicide risk; potential dropouts not at suicide risk; and typical youth not at suicide risk. Of the 1,286 participants, 39.4% of high risk and 30.1% of typical high school students screened in at suicide…