The Characteristics of Chinese Adolescents With Suicidal Ideation: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Abstract

We conducted a mixed-methods study to explore the characteristics of Chinese adolescents with suicidal ideation, using both quantitative and qualitative data and analysis. Participants were N = 244 adolescents, who completed self-report assessments of suicidal ideation, as well as indices of psychological functioning and well-being. A subset of n = 6 high and n = 6 low suicidal ideation adolescents participated in the follow-up interviews. Among the quantitative results, as compared with adolescents with low suicidal ideation, adolescents with high suicidal ideation reported significantly higher scores for stressful life events, coping-avoidant strategies, loneliness, and depression, as well as significantly lower scores for coping-approach strategies. Among the qualitative results, adolescents with high suicidal ideation demonstrated the following characteristics: (a) most troubled by academic pressures and relations, (b) negative self-evaluations, (c) maladaptive understanding of life and death, (d) individual-oriented attributions, and (e) negative coping strategies and self-fulfilling prophesy. These findings contribute to the early identification of adolescents who are at higher risk for suicide, further expand the stress and coping model with the distress-to-meaninglessness framework, and suggest that improving positive self-evaluation may be a focus of prevention and intervention.