Citation

Gutierrez P, King CA, Ghaziuddin N. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1996; 26(1): 8-18.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9173613

Abstract

This study examined psychiatrically disturbed adolescents' history of exposure to suicide attempts, completions, and other deaths in relation to attitudes about life and death. A primary goal of the study was to study the mediating processes involved in the impact of loss on suicidality. Adolescents who experienced the suicide of a friend or immediate family member reported a weaker attraction to life and stronger attraction to death than adolescents lacking this experience. Exposure to attempted suicide resulted in attitudes indicating a stronger attraction to death and repulsion by life. We conclude that a comprehensive history of loss and assessment of current attitudes toward death are important aspects of evaluation and subsequent treatment of at-risk adolescents.