2012

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death nationally (Williams & Jackson, 2005) and the third leading cause of adolescent mortality among youth ages 15 to 24 (Lubell & Vetter, 2006). Suicide attempts significantly increase during adolescence, reaching a peak between the ages of 16 and 18 (Miller, Rathus, & Linehan, 2007). A child, who expresses suicidal ideation or has attempted suicide, has a greater likelihood of becoming a first-time attempter or repeat attempter (Park, Mandell, & Lyons, 2009). When examining factors related to suicide in a six-year longitudinal study, Soloff and Chiappetta (2012) found increased prevalence (e.g., 16%) for suicide attempters within the first two years of their study; their two-year, follow-up assessment revealed a decline in suicide attempts for participants. Other factors beyond a previous attempt related to suicidal ideations and actions are impaired decision making (Bridge et al., 2012); feelings of high hopelessness and impulsiveness (Jacobs, Aseltine, Schilling, James, & Glanovsky, 2009). In addition, Chung and Joung (2012) found factors such as depression, gender (e.g., females having higher numbers of suicidal ideations and completions than males), grade level, the use of alcohol and illicit substances, involvement of sexual experiences, and insufficient sleep related to higher rates of suicidal attempts/completion. Of particular interest, non-suicidal self-harm in youth and recent negative life experiences can be strong predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Fedzyszyn, Robinson, Harris, Paxton, & Francey, 2012). Given support to the fact that most suicidal people communicate their intent sometime during the week preceding their attempt there is an increased need to provide multiple levels of collaborative systems (e.g., school, family, and community programs) towards adolescent life satisfaction.