Answer to Question #206537 in Psychology for crespo

Question

which factors ,according to the prescribed book, might be at play in adolescent suicide? The prescribed book is Gouws E. 2019. The adolescent. I Miss custom edition. Cape town: Pearson

Answer 1

Risk factors in adolescent suicide

Gouws, E (2019)gives a detailed analysis of the risks adolescents face in the plight of development milestones in his book The Adolescent. One of the main risks adolescents face is the risk of suicide. In the context of South African streets, Gouws provides numerous risk factors that play a part in youth suicide. Without a clear definition of suicide, this text is an indispensable idea for social workers, educational psychologists, clinicians, and social workers to understand the whole idea. Suicide remains a leading cause of youth deaths as suicidal behavior and ideation are both common in clinical populations.

Psychopathology is the primary risk factor contributing to the sufficient and necessary condition for suicide either attempted or completed. Gouws provides very strong epidemiological evidence to show the existence of distal and proximal factors. Depression is highly prevalent among many suicidal attempts. Greater rates of psychopathology were found along with most common disorders such as substance abuse, schizophrenia, and personality disorders. One of the highest associations was observed between addictive disorders and psychiatric. Severe depression is an overlapping entity and potentially leads to suicide.

Another factor leading to an increase in suicidal ideation is past suicide behavior. Any past ideation of suicide was found to trigger another idea of suicide among south African street children. Depressed adolescents are at high risk of trying and having recurrent suicidal behavior. Moreover, there are family factors that also cause suicidal behavior. Gouws shows that adolescents from a family with the past history of suicide are at high risk. These are South African youths from non-intact family’s characterized by parental depression, conflicts, critical substance abuse among other factors. The transmission of familial suicide occurs through inevitable channels of mood disorder, mental illness, and substance abuse. Moreover, children living with HIV/AIDS transferred from birth by parents are also at very high risk.

Life stressors are also major contributors of the increase in suicidal behavior. Completed and attempted suicide among adolescents is heavily associated with additional life stressors such as relationship troubles among the youth, academic difficulties, and additional problems with authorities. Youths keep suicidal behaviors in mind if life stressors stay around their minds. For instance, Gouws gives an example of sexual abuse. South African girls with a history of sexual abuse keep the cultural stigma in their minds. Girls with a history of suicidal behavior are believed to culturally casts and never get married. Other factors given are the highlight that includes poor problem-solving skills, aggression, hopelessness, low socioeconomic status, and impulsivity. Gay and lesbian youth in Africa suffer societal isolation, aggression, and discrimination from others (Gouws 2019). This increases their risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. This among other factors can be used to assess and understand what contributes to suicide behaviors or broaden what contributes to self-mutilation among adolescents.

 

Reference

Gouws, E. (2019). The adolescent: an educational perspective. Butterworth-Heinemann.