title: Stress, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation in late adolescents.
abstract: The relationships among stress, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation in late adolescents were examined in a group of college students. Multiple regression analysis indicated that both stress and self-esteem were significantly related to suicidal ideation; low self-esteem and stressful life events significantly predicted suicidal ideation. The hypothesis that self-esteem would moderate the effects of life stressors on suicidal ideation was supported at the .06 level. A significant minority of the sample indicated having thoughts severe enough to be classified as clinical suicidal ideation. In general, participants who had experienced negative life events in the 6 to 12 months prior to participating in the study had lower self-esteem than those who had similar stresses within the prior six months. However, the opposite was true for clinical suicidal ideators; those who experienced negative life stressors recently had lower self-esteem than those who experienced negative life events six months to a year in the past.
authors.affiliation: University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-6103, USA. wilburn@uakron.edu
authors.forename: Victor R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Wilburn
authors.forename: Delores E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires