Suicidality in the Deep South: risks for adolescent Mississippians
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-10-2014-0141 |
| Date | 11 January 2016 |
| Published date | 11 January 2016 |
| Pages | 61-70 |
| Author | Jon Mandracchia,Yen To,Shauna Pichette |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace |
Suicidality in the Deep South: risks for
adolescent Mississippians
Jon Mandracchia, Yen To and Shauna Pichette
Dr Jon Mandracchia is
Assistant Professor at the
Department of Psychology,
The University of Southern
Mississippi, Hattiesburg,
Mississippi, USA.
Dr Yen To is Assistant
Professor at the Department of
Educational Studies and
Research, The University of
Southern Mississippi,
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA.
Shauna Pichette is Masters
Student at the Department of
Counselling Psychology,
The University of Southern
Mississippi, Hattiesburg,
Mississippi, USA.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to better understand suicidality among adolescent Mississippians.
Design/methodology/approach –Mississippi-specific data were obtained from an existing national health
data set and utilized for two hierarchal linear regressions.
Findings –Highest risk for adolescent suicidality is for females with poor body image and a history of
traumatic experiences.
Research limitations/implications –This study demonstrates the need for further research into unique
suicide risk factors for adolescents in Mississippi. Causality cannot be inferred due to the correlational nature
of this study, and direct comparison of the findings to adolescents from other states cannot be made.
Originality/value –This exploratory study employed a holistic, inclusive approach toward better identifying
adolescent Mississippians most at-risk for suicidality; findings lead to future, targeted research efforts for
better understanding specific suicide risk factors in this population.
Keywords Suicide, Adolescents, Mississippi, Suicidal behaviours, Suicidality, Suicide risk factors
Paper type Research paper
Suicide is a major problem in the USA. The National Vital Statistics Reports identified suicide as
the tenth leading cause of death for US citizens (Hoyert and Xu, 2012), and the problem appears
to be worsening, with suicide rates continuing to increase (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2013). Even more troubling, the rate of attempted suicides exceeds completed
suicides by 10-40 times (Fowler, 2012), demonstrating that the broad issue of “suicidality”is
more pervasive than reported suicide rates suggest.
Although suicide is a concerning issue for all segments of the US population, it is a particularly
pressing issue among adolescents. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among
adolescents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009a) and approximately 10 percent
of adolescents have attempted suicide (Evans et al., 2005). Furthermore, whereas adults make
an estimated four attempts per completed suicide, adolescents make an estimated 100-200
attempts per completed suicide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009a). In a study
of adolescents who previously attempted suicide, 75 percent reported that they had not actually
wanted to die but instead believed suicide to be the only option to escape extremely negative
life circumstances and emotional pain (Jacobson et al., 2013). This alarming finding highlights
the importance of adolescents’unique aversive circumstances and life events in understanding
risk for suicidality.
Suicide rates, however, have been shown to differ based on several factors. Regarding race, for
example, suicide rates for whites and native Americans are approximately twice those of blacks,
Hispanics, and Asian Americans (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2012a). Suicidal
behavior also varies by gender, but in a more complex manner. Although females attempt
suicide two to three times more than males, males complete suicide almost four times more
Received 16 October 2014
Revised 9 January 2015
14 May 2015
Accepted 1 June 2015
Funding for this study was
provided by the Department of
Health and Human Services/
Center for Disease Control and
Prevention/My Brother’s
Keeper Inc.
DOI 10.1108/JACPR-10-2014-0141 VOL. 8 NO. 1 2016, pp.61-70, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599
j
JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACE RESEARCH
j
PAGE 6 1
To continue reading
Request your trial