Trajectories of Suicide Ideation,Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury,and Suicide Attempts in a Nonclinical Sample of Military Personnel and Veterans

Nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) is a risk factor for suicide attempts, but little is known about NSSI among military personnel and veterans, or about the temporal sequencing of NSSI relative to suicide ideation and attempts. This study evaluates trajectories of suicide ideation, NSSI, and suicide attempts in a sample of 422 military personnel and veterans. Of those with a history of NSSI, 77% also experienced suicide ideation. Suicide ideation emerged before NSSI (67%) more often than the reverse (17%). Of those with a history of suicide attempt, 41% also engaged in NSSI. NSSI emerged prior to the first suicide attempt (91%) more often than the reverse (9%). The length of time from suicide ideation to suicide attempt was longer for those who first engaged in NSSI (median = 3.5 years) compared with those who did not engage in NSSI (median = 0.0 years), Wald χ²(1) = 11.985, p = .002. Age of onset was earlier for participants reporting NSSI only compared with those reporting both NSSI and suicide attempts (16.71 vs. 22.08 years), F(1, 45) = 4.149, p = .048. NSSI may serve as a “stepping stone” from suicide ideation to attempts for 41% of those who attempt suicide.     

Early pathways to bullying: A prospective longitudinal study examining the influences of theory of mind and social preference on bullying behaviour during the first 3 years of school

Research has focused on the role of theory of mind (ToM) for positive social behaviour, while the association between ToM and negative social behaviours is less well understood. This longitudinal study compares two mediation models examining the role of ToM and peer-rated social preference at ages 5 and 6 for bullying at age 7. Participants were 114 children (58 boys, M_age = 67 months) at entry to primary school (T1). At Time 2 (T2), 106 children and, at Time 3 (T3), 96 children remained. Teacher-rated externalizing problems and children’s language ability were controlled at T1. Poor ToM was found to indirectly predict later bullying via poor social preference, while for boys only, greater earlier ToM directly predicted greater bullying 2 years later. These results suggest that there are different pathways to bullying via ToM and social preference , which has implications for interventions to prevent the development of bullying behaviour.     

Girls' and Boys' Changing Attitudes Toward School

This study considered children in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade in order to determine whether boys and girls differ from one another in their attitudes toward school when they first begin, and whether the relationship between boys' and girls' attitude changes with time. The information used in the study was collected during an evaluation of the California preschool program. A total of 6011 educationally disadvantaged children in 148 elementary schools were selected for the evaluation. The Attitude to School Questionnaire, developed at UCLA, was used to measure attitude. The study found that the sample of disadvantaged girls and boys has similar attitudes toward school in kindergarten. As they progress through the second grade, girls' attitude remains stable, while boys' attitude improves. The study also found that the differences between these attitude patterns were statistically significant. The study's results challenge the belief that girls have a better attitude toward school and suggest that differences in attitude between girls and boys develop between kindergarten and first grade.     

Help-Seeking Attitudes of Chinese Americans and Chinese Immigrants in the United States: The Mediating Role of Self-Stigma

In this study, the authors examined the relationship between age, gender, self-stigma, and help-seeking attitudes of Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants, hypothesizing that self-stigma would mediate the relationship between demographic variables (age and gender) and help-seeking attitude. Utilizing a path analysis, the authors found that self-stigma mediated the relationship between demographic variables and help-seeking attitude. Self-stigma was a moderately strong predictor for help-seeking attitude (β = –.41, p < .001). Implications are discussed. Es este estudio, los autores examinaron la relación entre edad, sexo, autoestigma y actitudes de búsqueda de ayuda en personas estadounidenses de origen chino e inmigrantes chinos, con la hipótesis de que el autoestigma mediaría la relación entre las variables demográficas (edad y sexo) y la actitud de búsqueda de ayuda. Mediante un análisis de ruta, los autores hallaron que el autoestigma medió la relación entre las variables demográficas y la actitud de búsqueda de ayuda. El autoestigma fue un indicador moderadamente fuerte de la actitud de búsqueda de ayuda (β = –.41, p < .001). Se discuten las implicaciones.