Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-wq484 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T12:05:57.861Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Characteristics of Suicide Attempters in a Population-Based Sample of Dutch Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

C. W. M. Kienhorst*
Affiliation:
University of Utrecht and University of Leiden
E. J. de Wilde
Affiliation:
University of Utrecht
J. Van Den Bout
Affiliation:
University of Utrecht
R. F. W. Diekstra
Affiliation:
University of Leiden
W. H. G. Wolters
Affiliation:
University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
*
Psycho-Social Department of the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, PO Box 18009, 3501 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands

Abstract

The characteristics of suicide attempters were ascertained in a sample of 9393 Dutch students aged 14–20. Broken homes and use of drugs and alcohol were found more often among attempters. Attempters more frequently lived with a single parent, in children's homes or foster homes, were disproportionately of female sex, reported more deaths of friends or relatives, and more often had an unemployed father. Thoughts of suicide and of death were reported more frequently, they were more depressed and hopeless, and had less self-esteem. They were less rational and perceived relationships with parents as poor.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beck, A. T., Weismann, A., Lester, D., et al (1974) The measurement of pessimism: the hopelessness scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 861865.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berman, A. L. & Carroll, T. A. (1984) Adolescent suicide: a critical review. Death Education, 8 (suppl.), 5364.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, T. R. & Sheran, T. J. (1972) Suicide prediction, a review. Life Threatening Behavior, 2, 6797.Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1977) Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (revised edn). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Dixon, W. J., (ed.) (1983) BMDP Statistical Software. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Ellis, A. (1962) Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. New York: Lyle Stuart.Google Scholar
Engelman, L. (1983) Stepwise logistic regression. In BMDP Statistical Software (ed. Dixon, W. J.). Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Garfinkel, B. D., Froese, A. & Hood, J. (1982) Suicide attempts in children and adolescents. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 12571261.Google ScholarPubMed
Goldacre, M. & Hawton, K. (1985) Repetition of self-poisoning and subsequent death in adolescents who take overdoses. British Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 395398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haberman, S. J. (1974) The Analysis of Frequency Data. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Hawton, K., O'Grady, J., Osborn, M., et al (1982) Adolescents who take overdoses: their characteristics, problems and contacts with helping agencies. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 118123.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawton, K., & Osborn, M. (1984) Suicide and attempted suicide in children and adolescents. In Advances in Clinical Child Psychology (eds Lahey, B. B. & Kazdin, A. E.). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Herjanic, B. & Welner, Z. (1980) Adolescent suicide. Advances in Behavioral Paediatrics, 1, 195223.Google Scholar
Hobrücker, B. (1983) Die Persönlichkeit von Jugendlichen mit Suizidhandlungen: Stichprobenvergleich und Klassifikation. Praxis der Kinderpsychologie, 32, 105144.Google Scholar
Khan, A. U. (1987) Heterogeneity of suicidal adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1, 9296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kienhorst, C. W. M. (1988) Suïcidaal gedrag by jongeren. Onderzoek naar omvang en kenmerken. (Suicidal behaviour among children and adolescents. A study of the frequency and characteristics). Thesis, Baarn: Ambo.Google Scholar
Kienhorst, C. W. M., van den Bout, J. & Broese van Groenou, M. I. (1987a) Meet de Rational Behavior Inventory (RBI) rationaliteit of affect? (Does the Rational Behavior Inventory (RBI) assess rationality or affect?) Gedragstherapie, 20, 5161.Google Scholar
Kienhorst, C. W. M., Wolters, W. H. G., Diekstra, R. F. W., et al (1987b) A study of the frequency of suicidal behavior in children aged 5 to 14. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28, 153165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kienhorst, C. W. M., de Wilde, E. J., van den Bout, J., et al (1990) Psychometrische eigenschappen van een aantal zelfrapportagevragenlijsten over ‘(on)welbevinden’; een onderzoek bij 9393 leerlingen van net Voortgezet Onderwijs. (Psychometric characteristics of some self-report questionnaires concerning ‘well-being’; a study among 9393 students of secondary education). Nederlands Tijdschrift voor de Psychologie (in press).Google Scholar
Lubin, B. (1967) Depression Adjective Checklist: Manual. San Diego: Education and Industrial Testing Service.Google Scholar
McIntire, M. S., Angle, C. R., Wikoff, R. L., et al (1977) Recurrent adolescent suicidal behavior. Pediatrics, 60, 605608.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Motto, J. A. & Heilbron, D. C. (1976) Development and validation of scales for estimation of suicide risk. In Suicidology, Contemporary Developments (ed. Schneidman, E. S.). New York: Grune and Stratton.Google Scholar
Offer, D., Ostrov, E. & Howard, K. I. (1982) The Offer Self-image Questionnaire for Adolescents, A Manual (3rd edn). Chicago: Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center.Google Scholar
Otto, U. (1972) Suicidal acts by children and adolescents. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (suppl. 33), 7123.Google Scholar
Petzel, S. V. & Riddle, M. (1981) Adolescent suicide: psychosocial and cognitive aspects. In Adolescent Psychiatry, Part 4: Adolescent suicidology (ed. Sorosky, A. D.), Chicago: University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Rosenberg, M. (1965) Society and the Adolescent's Self Image. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shorkey, C. T. & Witeman, V. L. (1977) Development of the Rational Behavior Inventory: initial validity and reliability. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 37, 527534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, K. & Crawford, S. (1986) Suicidal behavior among “normal” high school students. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 16, 313325.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stanley, E. J. & Barter, J. T. (1970) Adolescent suicidal behavior. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 40, 8796.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stober, B. (1981) Social environment and suicidal children and adolescents: a comparable study. In Dépression et Suicide (ed. Soubrier, J. P.). Paris: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Taylor, E. A. & Stansfeld, S. A. (1984) Children who poison themselves: 1. A clinical comparison with psychiatric controls. British Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 127135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teasdale, J. D. (1983) Negative thinking in depression: cause, effect or reciprocal relationship? Advances in Behavior Research and Therapy, 5, 325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thyer, B. A. & Papsdorf, J. D. (1981) Concurrent validity of the Rational Behavior Inventory. Psychological Reports, 48, 255258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zung, W. (1965) A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, 6370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.