The Impact of Exposure to Peer Suicidal Self‐Directed Violence on Youth Suicidal Behavior: A Critical Review of the Literature

There is considerable evidence that being exposed to the suicide or suicidal behavior of another can increase the risk for suicide. Significant relationships between media coverage and youth suicide have been documented in the professional literature. Exposure to familial suicidal behavior has also been established as a risk factor for youth suicidal behavior; However, peer suicide exposure is not as clear cut as research results in this area have been mixed. In the current paper the empirical literature focused on the associations between exposure to peer suicides and suicide attempts and youth suicidal behavior is critically reviewed. Effect sizes were computed for each of the 23 studies included in the review to allow for cross‐study comparisons. The results demonstrate that having a friend or acquaintance attempt suicide is significantly related to risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior. However, the support for the relationship between the suicide of a peer and youth suicidal behavior was less consistent. Implications for clinical practice and suicide postvention as well as areas of future research are discussed.     

The relationship between exposure to adolescent suicide and subsequent suicide risk. 2002 Student Award Address

In this study we examined the relationship between the exposure of adolescents to the suicide of a peer and subsequent suicide risk. Two hundred sixty-eight high school students filled out self-report questionnaires assessing demographic information, exposure to the suicide of a peer, relationship between survivor and suicide victim, and four measures of suicide risk (suicidal ideation, past and present suicide-related behavior, depressive symptomatology, and reasons for living). The 27 individuals who had been exposed to the suicide of a peer were classified as friends or acquaintances of suicide victims. Twenty-seven controls were then matched on gender, age, and ethnicity. The results of this study failed to support any of the hypothesized differences between exposed and unexposed adolescents of differing relationship categories on measures of suicide risk or depressive symptomatology. Three possible explanations for the results are evaluated and discussed within a conceptual framework.     

Suicide method runs in families: a birth certificate cohort study of adolescent suicide in Taiwan

Suicide method used by adolescents was examined to determine if it was the same as that employed by their suicidal parents. Six hundred eighty adolescents completed suicide between 1997 and 2007, of whom 12 had parents who had previously died by suicide. The suicide method used by these adolescents was compared with that employed by their suicidal parent and that of a matched peer control adolescent with no exposure to parental suicide and living in the same area. In 10 of the 12 suicidal parent-adolescent dyads, the same suicide method was employed by parent and adolescent. Of seven adolescents whose age at parental suicide was 15 years or above, six used the same suicide method as their suicidal parent had. On the contrary, of 12 exposure-nonexposure suicidal adolescent dyads, the same method was used in only four. Adolescents exposed to parental suicide are more likely to use the suicide method employed by their suicidal parents than the method used by adolescent peers with no exposure to parental suicide.     

USER ACCEPTANCE OF PEER APPRAISALS IN AN INDUSTRIAL SETTING

A survey of 218 industrial employees who had used a peer evaluation system for over a year found a higher degree of user acceptance than that reported in previous research. Users were significantly more favorable in their attitudes toward peer appraisals when the appraisals were used for developmental rather than evaluative purposes. Favorable user reactions were positively associated with the satisfaction that employees expressed with prior peer ratings and with the amount of leniency perceived in the peer rating process. User reactions were negatively associated with perceived friendship bias and years of company experience. No relationship was found between peer or self-ratings of performance and reactions to the peer appraisal process.     

青少年同伴依恋对抑郁的影响:朋友社会支持和自尊的中介作用

为探讨青少年同伴依恋与抑郁的关系,以及社会支持和自尊在二者关系中的作用机制,采用父母和同伴依恋问卷(IPPA)中的同伴依恋分量表、领悟社会支持量表(PSSS)、自尊量表(SES)和流调中心用抑郁量表(CES-D)对668名中学生进行调查,结果发现:(1)青少年同伴依恋、朋友社会支持和自尊两两之间呈显著正相关,且三者与抑郁均呈显著负相关。(2)青少年同伴依恋不仅能直接负向预测抑郁,而且还能通过自尊的单独中介作用对抑郁产生影响;朋友社会支持的单独中介作用以及社会支持→自尊的链式中介作用在初、高中生群体中存在差异,即在初中生群体中,同伴依恋能够通过社会支持的单独中介作用以及社会支持→自尊的链式中介作用对抑郁产生影响,而在高中生群体中,这两种间接作用均不显著。研究结果揭示了青少年同伴依恋对抑郁产生影响的心理机制,为引导青少年建立良好的同伴依恋,促进自尊及心理健康发展提供了有益建议。     

Adolescents' attitudes toward suicide, and a suicidal peer: A comparison between Swedish and Turkish high school students

The present paper first presents the attitudes toward suicide and a suicidal classmate among 98 female and 69 male (N = 167) Swedish high school students. Secondly, the Swedish sample was compared with 167 (89 female and 78 male) Turkish high school students from a previous study. Among Swedish students, more males than females said that people have the right to commit suicide and suicide can be a solution to some problems. More females than males expressed a belief in life after death. Swedish adolescents were found to be holding more liberal attitudes toward suicide than Turkish adolescents. However, Turkish adolescents showed greater acceptance for a suicidal peer than Swedish adolescents. The results are discussed in terms of socio-cultural factors and related literature. The need for educational programs to provide basic knowledge about suicide and, effective ways of dealing with and helping suicidal peers is implicated.     

Belongingness and Burdensomeness in Adolescents: Slovene Translation and Validation of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire

The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) for assessing thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB) has not been validated with community adolescents. We translated and administered the INQ to 307 Slovenian adolescents twice over 2–3 months and found that the 15‐item version (INQ‐15) did not fit without modification. TB and PB scales correlated with concurrent and later suicide ideation and lifetime suicide attempt history. The latent PB factor was associated with concurrent and later ideation controlling for TB, age, gender, depressive symptoms, binge drinking, and peer victimization. Suicide ideation and binge drinking were independently related to attempt history. Assessing and intervening on PB and binge drinking may be promising approaches to suicide prevention with community adolescents.     

Young adults' support strategies when peers disclose suicidal intent

In response to the growing suicide rate among adolescents and young adults, researchers have noted the importance of peer responses to suicidal disclosures in this population. The most adaptive response is to inform a responsible adult about the suicidal peer, but existing data indicate that most adolescents and young adults choose to talk to the peer on their own. The present study examined whether young adults' own history of suicidal ideation, gender, social history with suicide, and ambiguity of the disclosure would predict their response to a hypothetical suicidal peer. The data revealed significant effects of ambiguity and participants' suicidal ideation on the confidants' response strategy. The confidants' experience with others' attempted or completed suicides increased their likelihood of saving they would tell an authority, whereas their own history of ideation or attempts reduced the likelihood of that response. These effects were most pronounced when the hypothetical peer's suicidal intent was not completely clear, which may often be the case in disclosures by suicidal adolescents. Youth and young adults should be encouraged to inform adults about suicidal peers, particularly those who have been suicidal themselves previously, and who may resist that strategy. It is postulated that these particular peers may be more easily convinced to respond in this manner if they could be involved in the intervention with their suicidal peer.     

Suicidality as a function of impulsivity, callous-unemotional traits, and depressive symptoms in youth

Suicidality represents one of the most important areas of risk for adolescents, with both internalizing (e.g., depression, anxiety) and externalizing-antisocial (e.g., substance use, conduct) disorders conferring risk for suicidal ideation and attempts (e.g., Bridge, Goldstein, & Brent, 2006). However, no study has attended to gender differences in relationships between suicidality and different facets of psychopathic tendencies in youth. Further, very little research has focused on disentangling the multiple manifestations of suicide risk in the same study, including behaviors (suicide attempts with intent to die, self-injurious behavior) and general suicide risk marked by suicidal ideation and plans. To better understand these relationships, we recruited 184 adolescents from the community and in treatment. As predicted, psychopathic traits and depressive symptoms in youth showed differential associations with components of suicidality. Specifically, impulsive traits uniquely contributed to suicide attempts and self-injurious behaviors, above the influence of depression. Indeed, once psychopathic tendencies were entered in the model, depressive symptoms only explained general suicide risk marked by ideation or plans but not behaviors. Further, callous-unemotional traits conferred protection from suicide attempts selectively in girls. These findings have important implications for developing integrative models that incorporate differential relationships between (a) depressed mood and (b) personality risk factors (i.e., impulsivity and callous-unemotional traits) for suicidality in youth.     

越轨同伴交往与青少年睡眠问题的交叉滞后分析

本研究采用交叉滞后设计探讨越轨同伴交往与青少年睡眠问题之间的双向关系。通过越轨同伴交往问卷与匹兹堡睡眠质量指数（PSQI）对广东省某地区887名青少年（43.90%男生; M = 15.55）进行为期一学年的追踪研究。在控制了性别、年龄后,结果发现:（1）学年初始的睡眠问题可以显著正向预测青少年学年末的越轨同伴交往（b2 = 0.12, SE = .05, p < .05）,即青少年在学年初始睡眠问题越多,学年末则表现出更多的越轨同伴交往;（2）研究并未发现学年初始的青少年越轨同伴交往可以显著预测其学年末的睡眠问题（b1 = –0.07, SE = .06, p > .05）。因此,本研究的结果支持了睡眠问题对青少年越轨同伴交往的单向预测作用,即睡眠问题可能是增加青少年越轨同伴交往的重要风险因素之一。     

新时代青少年早期文化价值观的发展轨迹：同伴接纳的作用

采用问卷法和同伴提名法对1244名四年级学生进行为期三年的三次追踪,使用线性潜增长模型建模,检验四到六年级学生个体和集体取向价值观的变化趋势,并考察同伴接纳对两类文化价值观发展的影响及性别差异。结果显示：（1）青少年早期个体取向价值观呈线性上升趋势,起始水平存在显著个体差异,而变化速度不存在显著个体差异,起始水平和变化速度之间不存在显著关联;集体取向价值观呈线性上升趋势,起始水平及变化速度都存在显著个体差异,起始水平和变化速度之间存在显著负相关;（2）个体取向价值观的起始水平和变化速度都不存在显著性别差异;女生的集体取向价值观起始水平显著高于男生,而变化速度不存在显著性别差异;（3）较高的同伴接纳对特定时间点上个体和集体取向价值观的上升具有显著促进作用。     

Gender stereotypes and belonging across high school girls’ social groups: beyond the STEM classroom

Social Psychology of Education - Previous research on the impact of gender stereotypes on female adolescents’ feeling of belonging to peer groups has focused on STEM classrooms and...     

Parental involvement and mental health among school-going adolescents in five Caribbean countries

The aim of this study was to assess the association between parental involvement and mental health among adolescents in five Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica and Trinidad, and Tobago. Data were from the cross-sectional Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) which sampled 10 063 adolescents (mean age 14.3 years, SD = 1.3) from 2009 to 2013. In multivariable logistic regression analyses (adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic status), bullied, having close friends and peer support, and higher levels of parental involvement were negatively associated with loneliness, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in all five countries. In Jamaica, parental involvement was not associated with suicide attempt. Parental involvement interventions for improving mental health among the Caribbean adolescents should consider peer influences.     

越轨同伴交往与青少年问题性网络使用的交叉滞后分析

本研究采用交叉滞后设计探讨越轨同伴交往与青少年问题性网络使用之间的双向关系。通过越轨同伴交往、问题性网络使用诊断工具对广东省某地区886名青少年（44.0%男生; M = 15.55）进行为期一学年的追踪研究。在控制性别后发现:（1）学年初始的越轨同伴交往可以显著正向预测青少年学年末的问题性网络使用（b1 = .05, SE = .03, p < .05）,即青少年在学年初始越轨同伴交往越多,学年末则表现出更多的问题性网络使用;（2）学年初始的青少年问题性网络使用可以显著正向预测其学年末的越轨同伴交往（b2 = .08, SE = .03, p < .05）。（3）越轨同伴交往与青少年问题性网络使用的双向关系存在性别差异。     

越轨同伴交往与青少年问题性网络使用的交叉滞后分析

本研究采用交叉滞后设计探讨越轨同伴交往与青少年问题性网络使用之间的双向关系。通过越轨同伴交往、问题性网络使用诊断工具对广东省某地区886名青少年（44.0%男生; M = 15.55）进行为期一学年的追踪研究。在控制性别后发现:（1）学年初始的越轨同伴交往可以显著正向预测青少年学年末的问题性网络使用（b1 = .05, SE = .03, p < .05）,即青少年在学年初始越轨同伴交往越多,学年末则表现出更多的问题性网络使用;（2）学年初始的青少年问题性网络使用可以显著正向预测其学年末的越轨同伴交往（b2 = .08, SE = .03, p < .05）。（3）越轨同伴交往与青少年问题性网络使用的双向关系存在性别差异。     

The Social Correlates to Callous-Unemotional Traits in a Sample of High School Students

Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits are strongly related to early-onset and severe levels of conduct problems. However, much less research has focused on their association with potential problems in adolescents’ social relationships. Further, it is important to determine if CU traits explain variance in important social variables, independent of conduct problems or general personality dimensions related to sociability, like agreeableness. In the current study, we examined the association of CU traits with a range of social variables in a community sample of Italian adolescents (N = 563; 460 girls; mean age = 15.80, SD = 1.50). Measures for the social variables included assessment of peer rejection, adolescents’ prosocial behaviors, satisfaction in peer relationships, and feelings of connection with school and classmates. We also obtained self-report ratings of CU traits, conduct problems (CP) and agreeableness. Analyses showed that CU traits were significantly associated with all the social variables. After controlling for CP and agreeableness, CU traits were still positively associated with ratings of peer rejection and negatively associated with prosocial behavior and satisfaction in relationships with peers. However, the negative associations with feelings of connection to school and peers were no longer significant. These findings provide further support for the clinical usefulness of CU traits and further evidence for potential targets of intervention, particularly focused on the adolescent’s relational skills.     

Suicide Bereavement and Complicated Grief: Experiential Avoidance as a Mediating Mechanism

In the wake of increased interest in the specific features of suicide bereavement, the current study examines (a) the association between suicide bereavement and complicated grief and (b) the mediating effect of experiential avoidance on the association between suicide bereavement and complicated grief. The tests revealed a significant indirect effect of suicide bereavement on complicated grief through experiential avoidance. This finding suggests that traumatic characteristics of suicide bereavement may inhibit the grieving process by increasing experiential avoidance and emphasizing a cognitive approach for complicated grief of people who have lost their loved one to death by suicide.     

Co-occurring Mental Health Problems and Peer Functioning Among Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Review and Recommendations for Future Research

It is well established that children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently experience co-occurring mental health problems in addition to difficulties in their peer relationships. Although substantial research has focused on the extent to which peer functioning contributes to subsequent co-occurring mental health problems, much less research has considered how co-occurring mental health problems affect peer functioning domains. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to examine the effect of co-occurring mental health problems on the peer functioning of youth with ADHD. The impact of co-occurring externalizing (i.e., oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder) and internalizing (i.e., anxiety, depression) symptoms are reviewed, with a focus on whether these co-occurring symptoms exacerbate, attenuate, or have no effect across peer domains of social skills/competence, peer status, and friendship among youth with ADHD. Drawing from a developmental psychopathology framework, this review then draws attention to relevant causal processes and developmental cascades (including social-cognitive, affective, and family and parenting factors) in offering promising avenues for future work.     

Positive‐Themed Suicide Prevention Messages Delivered by Adolescent Peer Leaders: Proximal Impact on Classmates' Coping Attitudes and Perceptions of Adult Support

Developing science‐based communication guidance and positive‐themed messages for suicide prevention are important priorities. Drawing on social learning and elaboration likelihood models, we designed and tested two positive‐focused presentations by high school peer leaders delivered in the context of a suicide prevention program (Sources of Strength). Thirty‐six classrooms in four schools (N = 706 students) were randomized to (1) peer leader modeling of healthy coping, (2) peer leader modeling plus audience involvement to identify trusted adults, or (3) control condition. Students' attitudes and norms were assessed by immediate post‐only assessments. Exposure to either presentation enhanced positive coping attitudes and perceptions of adult support. Students who reported suicide ideation in the past 12 months benefited more than nonsuicidal students. Beyond modeling alone, audience involvement modestly enhanced expectations of adult support, congruent with the elaboration likelihood model. Positive peer modeling is a promising alternative to communications focused on negative consequences and directives and may enhance social–interpersonal factors linked to reduced suicidal behaviors.     

多主体评定青少年外化问题行为的一致性问题

以529名城乡初一学生为被试进行短期追踪研究,考察了青少年自我、同伴和教师三种主体对学校情境中的青少年外化问题行为评定的一致性问题。采用相关分析、多质多法分析、验证性因素分析和检出率分析对三种主体的评定结果进行了分析比较。结果显示,青少年自我、同伴和教师对外化问题行为的评定只存在中低程度的一致性;通过同伴评定测得的四种外化问题行为群之间的相关性高于通过教师评定和自我报告测得的结果,而自我报告测得的四种外化问题行为群之间的相关性最低。不同报告主体对青少年外化问题行为评定的跨时间稳定性存在差异,同伴评定的稳定性最高,其次为教师评定,青少年自我报告的稳定性最低。通过同伴评定测得的结果对多主体评定的解释率高于教师评定和自我报告的结果,自我报告的结果对多主体评定的解释率最低。三种主体所检出的不同形式的外化问题行为的人数比例没有呈现出规律性的差异,只有通过同伴评定检出的不同形式的外化问题行为者的人数比例随着检出标准的提高而减小