Suicide acceptability as a mechanism of suicide clustering in a nationally representative sample of adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: The goal of the present study was to examine suicide acceptability as a mechanism of suicide clustering in adolescents.

Methods: Data were drawn from The National Annenberg Survey of Youth, a sample of 3302 adolescents aged 14-22 collected between 2002 and 2004.

Results: Results indicated that beliefs of the acceptability of suicide partially mediated the effect of exposure to suicide (defined as knowing someone who attempted or completed suicide) on 1) serious suicidal ideation and 2) suicide planning behaviors.

Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that suicide acceptability is in small part a possible reason why suicides tend to cluster in adolescents. It contributes not only to the knowledge of how the phenomenon of suicide clustering might occur, but more broadly highlights the importance of examining mediators of suicide clustering.