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Stressful psychosocial school environment and suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death during adolescence worldwide. This study, using a sample of Chinese adolescents, examines associations of a stressful psychosocial school environment with suicidal ideation, which were rarely investigated so far.

Methods

A total of 1,004 Chinese students (468 boys and 536 girls) from Grade 7–12 were recruited into our questionnaire survey. Psychosocial school environment was measured by the effort–reward imbalance questionnaire adapted to the school setting, and suicidal ideation was assessed by a standardized question. Multivariate logistic regression was applied, adjusting odds ratios for age, gender, grade, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, family wealth, and self-rated health.

Results

In school settings, 10.86 % students reported suicidal ideation during the last 6 months, which was found to be significantly related to both effort and reward. Remarkably, effort–reward imbalance was associated with elevated risk of suicidal ideation (odds ratio = 1.77, 95 % confidence interval = 1.34–2.35).

Conclusions

This study finds significant associations between a stressful psychosocial school environment in terms of effort–reward imbalance and suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents. Preventive actions aiming at reducing this imbalance may define a promising approach towards a healthy psychosocial school environment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the students who participated in the questionnaire survey. We also gratefully acknowledge Qing Li and Kunrong Shang from the Panlong District Education Bureau, Kunming City, for their excellent organization in data collection. This research was partly supported by a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme (PIIF-GA-2008-220641).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China

    Li Shang, Jian Li & Yan Li

  2. Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine, Center for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Jian Li

  3. Institute of Medical Sociology, Center for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Jian Li & Johannes Siegrist

  4. Yunnan Provincial Department of Education, Kunming, China

    Tao Wang

Authors
  1. Li Shang
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  2. Jian Li
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  3. Yan Li
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  4. Tao Wang
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  5. Johannes Siegrist
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jian Li.

Additional information

L. Shang and J. Li contributed equally.

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Shang, L., Li, J., Li, Y. et al. Stressful psychosocial school environment and suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49, 205–210 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0728-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0728-5

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