Suicidality in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong: the role of family and cultural influences (original) (raw)

Personal and Family Correlates of Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong

Social Indicators Research, 2010

Based on the family ecological model, personal (hopelessness, social problem solving, emotional competence) and family (parent-adolescent communication, family functioning) quality of life measures related to adolescent suicidal ideation were examined in 5,557 Secondary 1 to Secondary 4 students in Hong Kong. Results showed that suicidal ideation was positively related to adolescent hopelessness but negatively related to emotional competence, social problem solving, father-adolescent communication, mother-adolescent communication and family functioning. Multiple regression analyses showed that hopelessness was the most important predictor of adolescent suicidal ideation, followed by mother-adolescent communication, family functioning, social problem solving, father-adolescent communication, and emotional competence. Path analyses with and without direct effects showed that hopelessness mediated the effect of personal and family correlates on adolescent suicidal ideation.

Suicidal ideation, parenting style, and family climate among Hong Kong adolescents

International Journal of Psychology, 2001

The prevalence of suicidal ideation and its relations with perceived parenting treatment and family climate was examined in 120 Hong Kong students aged 15-19 years. Fifty-two per cent of the participants reported suicide ideation. Suicide ideation was found to be signi cantly associated with perceived authoritarian parenting, low parental warmth, high maternal overcontrol, negative child-rearing practices, and a negative family climate. A positive family climate may act as a buffer against developing suicide ideation in adolescents. La fréquence des pensées suicidaires et ses relations avec le climat familial et la perception du style sont étudiées chez 120 étudiants de Hong Kong, âgés de 15 à 19 ans. Cinquante-deux pour cent des participants rapportent avoir des idées suicidaires. De telles idées sont associées signi cativement avec la perception d'un style parental autoritaire, un niveau bas de chaleur parentale, une surprotection maternelle élevée, des pratiques négatives d'éducation des enfants et un climat familial négatif. Un climat familial positif pourrait servir de défense contre le développement des idées suicidaires chez les adolescents.

Parent-reported suicidal behavior and correlates among adolescents in China

Journal of Affective Disorders, 2008

Background: Suicidal risk begins to increase during adolescence and is associated with multiple biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. This study examined the prevalence and psychosocial factors of parent-reported suicidal behavior in Chinese adolescents.

Suicidality and correlates among rural adolescents of China

Journal of Adolescent Health, 2005

Despite high rates of suicide in rural youths of China, little is known about the epidemiological characteristics of suicidal behaviors among this group of population. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of suicidality among Chinese adolescents. Methods: An epidemiological survey was conducted in a sample of 1,362 adolescents from 5 high schools in a prefecture of Shandong, China. We obtained data using a structured questionnaire asking about suicidal behaviors, life stress, locus of control, depression, aggression, and individual and family characteristics. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models. Results: Overall, 19% of the sample reported having suicidal ideation, and 7% reported having made a suicide attempt during the past 6 months. The prevalence rates of suicidal behaviors significantly increased over age. Female adolescents were more likely to report suicidal ideation than males, and older females (ages 16-18) were more likely to report suicide attempts than older males. Multivariate logistic regression models showed that female gender, older age, boarding in school, life stress, depression, and external locus of control were significantly associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation, while older age, life stress, external locus of control, poor academic performance, depression, and aggression were related to suicide attempts. Conclusions: Suicidal behaviors are common problems in rural adolescents of China. Female adolescents are particularly prone to report suicidal ideation and suicide attempts as they age. Multiple psychosocial factors are associated with suicidal behaviors, and psychopathology and life stress may play major roles in suicidal behaviors among rural adolescents of China.

Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building

This study aimed at proposing and testing a conceptual model of youth suicide attempt. We proposed a model that began with family factors such as a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation. Family relationship, presence of psychopathology, life stressors, and suicide ideation were postulated as mediators, leading to youth suicide attempt. The stepwise entry of the risk factors to a logistic regression model defined their proximity as related to suicide attempt. Path analysis further refined our proposed model of youth suicide attempt. Our originally proposed model was largely confirmed. The main revision was dropping parental divorce/separation as a risk factor in the model due to lack of significant contribution when examined alongside with other risk factors. This model was cross-validated by gender. This study moved research on youth suicide from identification of individual risk factors to model building, integrating separate findings of the past studies. Ó

Exposure to suicide and suicidal behaviors among Hong Kong adolescents

Suicidal behaviors (deliberate self-injury with the intent to hurt or kill oneself) have been little examined outside the West. The aims of this study were to (a) determine the correlates of suicidal behaviors, and (b) examine whether depression and suicide ideation moderated the effects of exposure to completed and attempted suicide on suicidal behaviors among a community sample of Hong Kong youth ages 12-17. Adolescents responded to questions regarding self-injurious behaviors, and also indicated presence of intention to hurt or kill themselves in the past 12 months. Based on their responses, two groups of interest were formed: 96 youths reported both self-injurious behaviors and the intent to hurt or kill themselves, and formed the ''suicidal behaviors'' group; and, 1213 adolescents reported neither selfinjurious behaviors nor intent to hurt self or die, and formed the control group. The participants also responded to questions about depressive symptoms, anxiety, suicidal ideation and attempt, alcohol/drug use, stressful life events, and family relationships. They indicated whether anyone they knew had attempted or completed suicide in the previous 12 months. Logistic regression indicated that depressive symptoms, stressful life events, suicidal ideation and exposure to suicide attempt (but not completed suicide) contributed unique variance to the presence of suicidal behaviors, after controlling for demographic variables. Depression (and at trend levels, suicidal ideation) moderated the effect of exposure to suicide attempt by others on suicidal behaviors. Our results indicate that completed suicide in the social network increases risk for suicidal behaviors, but not when other risk factors are controlled. By contrast, a suicide attempt independently increases risk for suicidal behaviors. Furthermore, those youths who experience depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation are at particularly high risk for engaging in suicidal behaviors when an exposure to suicide attempt occurs. r

Understanding suicidality and correlates among Chinese secondary school students in Hong Kong

Health Promotion International, 2009

Suicide has become a leading cause of mortality and morbidity for adolescents in Hong Kong. This study investigated the factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempt among the secondary school students in Hong Kong by studying a representative sample of 3383 students with a self-administered questionnaire and analysed by multiple logistic regressions analysis. Youth risk behaviours, such as heavy smoking, episodic heavy alcohol drinking, early sexual experience, and feeling hopeless, were found to be associated with both suicidal thoughts and attempts, with 'misuse of drugs' as discriminating factor that solely related to attempt and 'involvement in physical fight' solely related to suicidal thoughts. Addition of suicidal ideation is a significant explanatory variable of suicidal attempt over and above health risk behaviours. Stratified analysis of upper and lower secondary students would give better understanding of significance of various risk factor for different age groups. The disturbing prevalence of suicidal behaviour and its coexistence with other high-risk behaviour in secondary school students have implications for teachers, youth workers and public health practitioners to develop and evaluate programmes for suicide prevention.

Suicidality Among High School Students in Hong Kong, SAR

Suicide and Life-threatening Behavior, 2004

Suicide is the leading cause of death in Hong Kong SAR for the youth aged 15-24. This study examined the prevalence of suicidality among secondary school students in Hong Kong using a representative, territory-wide sample of 2,586 students. Suicidal behaviors can be conceptualized as a spectrum of self-destructive behaviors. Cumulative logit model analysis indicated that a range of factors, such as unhappy family life, were associated with increasing levels of suicidality. Use of illicit drugs, inhalants, and tobacco differentiated attempters from ideators. The implications of the research findings are discussed.

Psychopathology Associated with Suicide Attempts Among Rural Adolescents of China

Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 2005

This case control study examined the relationship between psychopathological profiles and self-reported suicide attempts among rural adolescents of China. Cases consisted of 142 adolescents who reported a suicide attempt in the past 6 months in a questionnaire survey (n = 1,365). An equal number of adolescents without reporting a suicide attempt, matched on age, gender, and school class, were selected from the same survey sample as controls. The Youth Self Report (YSR) was used to assess psychopathological profiles for suicide attempters and matched controls. Results indicated that 73% of suicide attempters had at least one behavioral/emotional syndrome, significantly higher than in controls (30%). Logistic regression analyses showed that anxiety/depression (OR = 3.68) and aggression (OR = 5.02) were each significantly associated with increased risk of suicide attempts after controlling for other behavioral problems. These findings demonstrated the independent contribution of anxiety/depression and aggression to suicide attempts in Chinese adolescents. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for Disease Control, 2004), suicide resulted in more than 30,000 deaths per year, was the among adolescents and young adults (Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2002). Ac-eleventh leading cause of death for all Americans, and was the third leading cause of death cording to 2001 U.S. mortality data (Centers among young people 10 to 24 years of age. In China, suicide accounts for 19% of all

Hopelessness, Family Functioning and Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong§

The Open Family Studies Journal, 2008

Based on the responses of 5,557 Chinese secondary students in Hong Kong, the relationship among hopelessness, perceived family functioning and suicidal ideation was examined in this study. Results showed that while hopelessness had a positive relationship with suicidal ideation, perceived global family functioning had a negative relationship with Chinese adolescent suicidal ideation. Different dimensions of family functioning were differentially related to suicidal ideation, with conflict and harmony, parental concern and parental control showing stronger prediction of adolescent suicidal ideation than did mutuality and communication. It was further found that family functioning moderated the relationship between hopelessness and adolescent suicidal ideation. The present study underscores the importance of family functioning in the psychological well-being of Chinese adolescents. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.