Suicide and Its Association with Individual, Family, Peer, and School Factors in an Adolescent Population in Southern Taiwan

Abstract

A representative sample of 10,233 adolescent students was recruited to examine the rate of suicidal attempt and its correlates in the adolescents living in southern Taiwan. Five questions from the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (Kiddie-SADS-E) were used to inquire about the participants' suicidality. The associations between suicidal attempt and multidimensional factors were examined by using logistic regression analysis: 9.1% of the participants reported a suicidal attempt in the preceding year. Female gender, low self-esteem, weekly alcohol use, illicit drugs use, depression, high family conflict, low maternal education level, poor family function, low connectedness to school, low rank, poor feeling in peer group, and drop out from school were associated with adolescent suicidal attempt. The rate of suicidal attempt was found to be high in Taiwanese adolescents, and multidimensional factors were correlated to adolescent suicidal attempt.

Youth at Risk: Suicidal Thoughts and Attempts in Vietnam, China, and Taiwan

“…The lower prevalence rate found in this study among Taiwanese youth may be because of the inclusion of in-school and out-of-school youth. In school-based studies that found higher prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts, many school-related factors were leading causes including academic stress, dissatisfaction with school, failures in exam, boarding in school, and low school connectedness were risk factors for suicidal ideation and attempt [12,24,25], whereas having helpful student peers was a protective factor [25].…”

“…A study of a representative sample of 10,233 adolescents in southern Taiwan identified individual, family, peer, and school factors associated with suicide. Risk factors for youth suicide included female gender, low self-esteem, weekly alcohol use, illicit drug use, depression, high family conflict, low maternal education level, poor family function, low connectedness to school, and dropping out of school [12].…”

Pain-related quality of life related to mental health and sociodemographic indicators in adolescents

“…The 5-item questionnaire derived from the epidemiological version of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia 27 was used to assess the occurrence of suicide attempts and four forms of suicidal ideation in the preceding year 28 . Each question elicited a "yes" or "no" response.…”

“…Each question elicited a "yes" or "no" response. Cohen's kappa coefficient of agreement (κ) between participants' self-reported suicide attempts and their parents' reports was 0.541 (p < 0.001) 28 . Participants who responded "yes" to any of the five items were classified as having suicidal ideation or attempts.…”

Exploring stressful live events on Indonesian adolescents

“…In Japan, youth suicide occurred for reasons related to the larger problem (Tubbs, 1994). In Taiwan, mortality caused by suicide and self-harm among adolescents aged 15-19 grew significantly compared to the past decade (Ministry of the Interior in Tang et al, 2009). In the last three decades (from 1975 to 2005), the suicide rate in India increased by 43% (Vijayakumar, 2010).…”