Brennan, Ciara and McGilloway, Sinéad
(2012)
Suicide ideation, psychological adjustment and mental health service support: A screening study in an Irish secondary school sample.
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 29 (1).
pp. 46-51.
ISSN 2051-6967
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the extent of suicide ideation, psychological maladjustment and views of mental health service support in a sample of secondary school pupils.
Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a purposive sample of participants (n=93) recruited from a secondary school located in the south east of Ireland. Participants completed a Background Information Questionnaire (BIQ); the Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ); and the Reynolds Adolescence Adjustment Screening Inventory (RAASI).
Results: Approximately ten percent of participants displayed high levels of suicide ideation whilst one third reported having previously had suicidal thoughts; one quarter reported psychological adjustment difficulties, although these varied by age and sex. Participants' drug use and their levels of parental closeness were both individual factors that significantly predicted both suicide ideation and psychological adjustment. Females reported higher levels of parental closeness than males. Forty percent of respondents rated mental health support services as insufficient to meet their needs.
Conclusion: The findings raise serious concerns about the extent of suicidal thoughts amongst young people in Ireland; they also highlight a potentially important role for parents in this regard. Further research should ascertain national prevalence rates whilst appropriate school-based mental health education/promotion and support services should also be implemented.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Suicide ideation; Young people; Adolescents; Schools; Mental health; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology |
| Item ID: |
9282 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0790966700017614 |
| Depositing User: |
Dr. Sinéad McGilloway
|
| Date Deposited: |
27 Feb 2018 16:02 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine |
| Publisher: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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