Developmental Trends and Sex Differences in Adolescent Attitudes Toward Suicide (From Adolescent Suicide, P 87-96, 1988, Robert W. Cole, Jr., ed. -- See NCJ-117025)

• NCJ Number: 117028
• Author(s): J M Stillion; E E McDowell; J H May
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 10 pages
• Sale Source: Phi Delta Kappa
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Reprinted from Death Education, V 8 Supplement, 1984

Annotation

Two studies dealing with adolescent attitudes toward suicide focused on attitudes in adolescents of different ages and intelligence test scores and also compared the attitudes of males and females.

Abstract

The first study involved 106 ninth graders, 196 12th graders, and 84 college students in North Carolina, while the second study gathered information from 75 male and 115 female ninth graders. Attitudes toward suicide were measures by the Suicide Attitude Vignette Experience Scale (SAVE), which described 10 hypothetical situations and asked participants to indicate their sympathy, empathy, and agreement with the suicide action. Results indicated that older adolescents agree less with reasons for suicide than do younger adolescents. In addition, adolescent females who scored higher on IQ tests agreed less with all reasons for suicide than did those scoring lower on IQ tests. Finally, adolescent females sympathized more with all the reasons for suicide than did adolescent males. Findings suggest that both cognitive development and sex-role variables are related to adolescent attitudes toward suicide. Tables and 5 references.