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Association Between Adolescent Suicide Ideation, Suicide Attempts and Emotional Self-Efficacy

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Abstract

This cross-sectional study investigated relationships between suicide ideation, suicide behavior and emotional self-efficacy in a sample of high school adolescents in grades 9–12 with an age range of 12–18 (n = 3,836) in South Carolina. The hypothesis of the study proposed that low levels of emotional self-efficacy would be significantly associated with higher levels of suicide ideation and suicide attempts for study participants. A brief emotional self-efficacy scale was added to the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey to investigate associations with suicide ideation and suicide attempts. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis and multivariate models constructed separately for sex and race were employed. Tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use; relationship violence; depressed mood; socioeconomic status; and weapon/gun access were included as covariates in the adjusted models. Nearly all suicide variables were significantly related to emotional self-efficacy in the unadjusted models for the four race/sex groups. In adjusted models, suicide ideation, planning a suicide attempt, attempting suicide and a suicide attempt resulting in injury were associated (α ≤ .05) with reduced emotional self-efficacy for black females. For white males, suicide ideation, attempting suicide and a suicide attempt resulting in injury were associated (α ≤ .05) with reduced emotional self-efficacy. Suicide ideation for black males was associated (α ≤ .05) with reduced emotional self-efficacy. No significant associations were established for white females. Results have implications for health services and suicide prevention programs for adolescents. Measures of emotional self-efficacy as a part of adolescent mental health assessments might be useful for field work, intervention, and program evaluation efforts.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by Cooperative Agreement #U63/CCU 802750-04, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Atlanta, Georgia, and Cooperative Agreements with the South Carolina Department of Education, Columbia, South Carolina.

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  1. Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Robert F. Valois

  2. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Keith J. Zullig

  3. Department of Epidemiology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Amy A. Hunter

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Valois, R.F., Zullig, K.J. & Hunter, A.A. Association Between Adolescent Suicide Ideation, Suicide Attempts and Emotional Self-Efficacy. J Child Fam Stud 24, 237–248 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9829-8

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