title: Adolescent attitudes about death in relation to suicidality.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ghaziuddin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D002648:Child; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology