(PS13-29) Social Support and Suicide Ideation in Clinical and Community Adolescents

Sunday, November 17, 2024

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST

Location: Franklin Hall, Level 4, Marriott Downtown

Author(s)

TK

Taylor Kalgren, M.S.

Project Coordinator
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States

Co-Author(s)

AK

Anthony Kennedy, M.S.

Graduate Student
Western Kentucky University
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Amy M. Brausch, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychological Sciences
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States

Abstract Text: Suicide rates have increased by 62% from 2007 through 2021 in individuals aged 10-24 (CDC, 2023) Research on both peer and parent support consistently shows a negative relationship with suicide ideation in community samples of adolescents (Brausch & Decker, 2014; Mackin et al., 2017). However, research on adolescents in clinical settings is much more mixed in terms of how parent and peer support associate with suicide ideation relationships (Kerr et al., 2005; Prinstein et al., 2000). The current study examined associations between both parent and peer support and suicide ideation severity in clinical and community adolescents with the intent to gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential buffering effects of social support. The first sample included 456 adolescents (M age = 13.19) who were recruited from middle and high schools in the Southcentral United States. Most participants identified as female (53%), heterosexual (89%), and White (85%). The second sample included 100 adolescents (M age = 14.6) who were recruited from an inpatient children’s crisis stabilization unit. Most participants identified as female (68%), heterosexual (67%), and White (79%). Social support was measured by two subscales from the Reasons for Living Inventory for Adolescents (RFL-A; Osman et al., 1998): Family Alliance and Peer Acceptance and Support. Suicide ideation was measured by the Self-Harm Behavior Questionnaire (SHBQ; Gutierrez et al., 2001), and the total score for the suicide ideation module was used. Higher scores indicate greater frequency and severity of suicide ideation. Results from a linear regression analysis showed that in the community sample, peer support was negatively associated with suicide ideation, b = -4.69, t(404) = -11.31, p < .001. Family alliance was also negatively associated with suicide ideation, b = -0.87, t(405) = -7.44, p < .001. For the clinical sample, linear regression results found no significant relationships between either peer or parent support and suicide ideation. Results indicate that higher peer support and family alliance are associated with lower suicide ideation frequency and severity in a community sample of adolescents but not in a clinical sample. This may be due to adolescents in a clinical setting typically reporting higher suicide ideation severity compared to those in a non-clinical setting, indicating that social support may not serve as much as a buffer for adolescents with greater suicide ideation severity. Future research could investigate if impairment plays a role in these relationships.