NCJ Number
159413
Date Published
1992
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This resource guide provides abstracts of 27 articles, papers, studies, and transcripts on adolescent suicide in the Pacific.
Abstract
The studies show that suicide is a fast-growing problem in Micronesia and tends to be a male-dominated phenomenon. The most often used suicide method is hanging; other methods include medication overdoses, toxic substances, gunshot, and drowning. The dominant motive for suicide is anger, and over 40 percent of suicide victims have been drinking alcohol at the time of the suicide. Youth suicides are triggered by conflicts with parents, elders, or older siblings. Very few successful suicides are due to mental disorders, grief, or anxiety. The youths who commit suicide are not typically delinquents or deviant; they are generally fun-loving, diligent, and dutiful. The rate of completed suicides is particularly high among males aged 15 to 24. One explanation for the suicide increase is the weakening of the family unit and modernization. Three-fourths of the youths who commit suicide are not married, have limited participation in the community, and have marginal employment. A 29-item bibliography