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Life Satisfaction and Suicide among High School Adolescents

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Abstract

Relationships between perceived life satisfaction, poor mental health, suicide ideation and suicide behaviors were examined in a statewide sample of 13 to 18 year old public high school students (n = 4,758) using the self-report CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Adjusted logistic regression analyses and multivariate models constructed separately (via SUDAAN), revealed that poor mental health (past 30 days), poor mental/physical health (past 30 days) serious suicide consideration (past 12 months), planning for suicide (past 12 months), attempted suicide (past 12 months) and suicide attempt requiring medical care (past 12 months) were significantly related to reduced life satisfaction. Also, differences across gender and race were demonstrated. Measures of life satisfaction as a component of comprehensive assessments of adolescent mental health, suicide ideation and suicide behavior in fieldwork, research, and program-evaluation efforts should be considered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Promotion, Education & Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, Room 216, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Robert F. Valois

  2. Department of Physical Education, Health & Sport Studies, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, 45056, USA

    Keith J. Zullig

  3. Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    E. Scott Huebner

  4. Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 800 Sumter Street, Room 216, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    J. Wanzer Drane

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Valois, R.F., Zullig, K.J., Huebner, E.S. et al. Life Satisfaction and Suicide among High School Adolescents. Social Indicators Research 66, 81–105 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SOCI.0000007499.19430.2f

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