The role of exposure to suicide and coping strategies in the suicidal ideation of adolescents

Abstract

English: Both international and national research, indicate that adolescent suicide rates have steadily increased during the past few decades. As a result, the importance of investigations concerning risk and protective factors that influence adolescents is highlighted. The current study investigates the role of one such potential risk factor, namely exposure to suicide, as well as the role of coping strategies as possible protective factors in the levels of suicidal ideation of adolescents. A non-experimental research design, including both correlational and criterion group components was implemented. The group of participants consisted of 590 grade 11 and 12 adolescents from the Northern Cape Province. The measuring instruments included the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (Reynolds, 1988), a self-compiled biographical questionnaire, the Coping Orientations to the Problems Experienced Questionnaire (COPE) (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989), and a self-compiled Guttman-scale containing two items to establish whether participants had been exposed to suicidal behaviour. A product moment correlation was calculated between exposure to suicidal behaviour and suicidal ideation. This was followed by a multivariate analysis of variance to determine whether significant differences existed between a group of participants with low levels of suicidal ideation, a group with high levels of suicidal ideation, and their use of different coping strategies. Results from the study indicate that the measuring instruments have acceptable internal consistency coefficients; however, the COPE questionnaire obtained lower alpha coefficient scores than the alpha coefficients found for an American sample (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989). No significant correlational relation was found between exposure to suicide and levels of suicidal ideation. The univariate analysis of variance revealed that this group of participants most frequently made use of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, however, the results also indicate that the participants, especially those portraying high levels of suicidal ideation, frequently use less functional strategies, such as denial and behavioural disengagement. Thus, it seems as if adolescents with high suicidal ideation more often engage in inappropriate coping strategies, such as denial and behavioural disengagement. Similarly, Lewis and Frydenberg (2002) found that adolescents tend to move toward suicidal behaviour when they have inadequate abilities to implement efficient coping strategies. In the light of these findings, adolescents would certainly benefit from intervention programmes that urge the development and use of more effective coping strategies.

Afrikaans: Beide internasionale sowel as nasionale navorsing dui aan dat adolessente selfmoordgedrag gedurende die afgelope paar dekades toegeneem het. As gevolg hiervan word die belangrikheid van navorsing rakende relevante risiko- en beskermende faktore beklemtoon. Die huidige studie stel ondersoek in na die rol wat een potensiële risikofaktor speel in adolessente se selfmoordgedrag, naamlik blootstelling tot selfmoordgedrag, sowel as die rol van copingstrategieë as moontlike beskermende faktore in die vlakke van adolessente se selfmoordideasie. ‘n Nie-eksperimentele navorsingsontwerp bestaande uit beide korrelasionele en kriterium-groep komponente, is gebruik. Die steekproef het bestaan uit 590 graad 11 en 12 leerlinge vanuit die Noordkaap Provinsie. Die meetinstrumente het bestaan uit die Selfmoordideasie vraelys (Reynolds, 1988), ‘n biografiese vraelys, die Coping Orientation of Problems Experienced (COPE) vraelys (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989) en ‘n self-saamgestelde Guttmanskaal, bestaande uit twee items, om te bepaal of deelnemers voorheen blootgestel was aan selfmoordgedrag. Die produkmoment-korrelasiekoëffisiënt tussen blootstelling aan selfmoordgedrag en selfmoordideasie is bereken. Hierdie berekening is deur ‘n meerveranderlike analise van variansie opgevolg om vas te stel of beduidende verskille bestaan tussen ‘n groep deelnemers met lae vlakke van selfmoordideasie, ‘n groep met hoë vlakke van selfmoordideasie en hul gebruik van verskillende copingstrategieë. Resultate van die studie dui aan dat die meetinstrumente aanvaarbare interne konsekwentheidskoeffisiënte toon, alhoewel laer alfakoëffisiënte vir die COPE vraelys bereken is as wat in ‘n Amerikaanse studie bevind is (Carver, Scheier & Weintraub, 1989). Geen betekenisvolle korrelasie tussen blootstelling aan selfmoord en vlakke van selfmoordideasie is gevind nie. Uit die enkelveranderlike variansieontleding het dit geblyk dat die totale groep meer gebruik maak van probleem-gefokusde en emosioneel-gefokusde copingstrategieë, alhoewel die resultate ook weergee dat die deelnemers, veral die wat hoë vlakke van selfmoordideasie toon, dikwels minder funksionele strategieë, insluitend ontkenning of gedragsonttrekking gebruik. Dit blyk dus asof adolessente met hoë vlakke van selfmoordideasie meer gereeld ongepaste copingstrategieë, insluitend ontkenning en gedragsonttrekking toepas. ‘n Soortgelyke bevinding is deur Lewis en Frydenberg (2002) gemaak. Adolessente in hul studie was meer geneig om selfmoordgedrag uit te voer wanneer hulle onvoldoende vermoëns het om effektiewe copingstrategieë te implementeer. Aan die hand van hierdie bevindinge, is dit duidelik dat adolessente baat sal vind by intervensieprogramme wat meer effektiewe gebruik van copingstrategieë bevorder.