Suicidal Behavior and Violence in Male Adolescents: A School-Based Study

• NCJ Number: 198617
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 42 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2003 Pages: 41-48
• Author(s): Robert Vermeiren Ph.D.; Mary Schwab-Stone M.D.; Vladislav V. Ruchkin Ph.D.; Robert A. King M.D.; Cornelis Van Heeringen Ph.D.; Dirk Deboutte Ph.D.
• Date Published: January 2003
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses the characteristics of suicidal and violent behavior in a school sample of male adolescents.

Abstract

Self-report surveys were administered to a school sample of male adolescents aged 12 to 18 years in Belgium. The instruments used were socioeconomic status, delinquency questionnaires, suicidal behavior, behavior assessment system for children, expectations about the future, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory-Dutch Version, alcohol and marijuana use, and diminished perception of risk. Suicidal adolescents were predicted to show primarily internalizing problems, risk-taking behavior, and some increase in aggression. Violent and combined violent-suicidal subjects were predicted to show increased aggression and risk-taking behavior. Four groups were distinguished based on the information on suicidal behavior and violence. Those participants that committed more than one violent act during the past year formed the violent-only group. The suicidal-only group included those that reported suicidal ideation but no severe violent behavior. The suicidal-violent group included those that reported suicidal ideation and more than one violent act. Students that did not report suicidal ideation and did not commit more than one violent act were considered as the control group. Results show that suicidal and violent subjects shared characteristics related to aggressive tendencies and risk-taking behavior. The nature of these characteristics differed across groups. The suicidal-only subjects showed more covert aggression and alcohol use, while the violent-only subjects showed more overt aggression, sensation seeking, and marijuana use. When compared with controls, all three comparison groups showed more depression and somatization, although these problems were most apparent in the suicidal-only group. The combined group differed substantially from the suicidal-only group on overt aggression, sensation seeking, perception of risk, and substance use. This supported the idea that distinct subgroups of suicidal youths can be distinguished on the basis of the level of violence. 3 tables, 32 references