title: Psychological factors as predictors of suicidal ideation among adolescents in Malaysia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There has been a drastic increase in the rate of suicides over the past 45 years in Malaysia. The statistics show that adolescents aged between 16 and 19 years old are at high risk of committing suicide. This could be attributed to issues relating to the developmental stage of adolescents. During this stage, adolescents face challenges and are exposed to various stressful experiences and risk factors relating to suicide.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study examined psychological factors (i.e., depression, anxiety and stress) as predictors for suicidal ideation among adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 190 students (103 males and 87 females), aged 15 to 19 years old from two different schools in Kuala Lumpur. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21-item version (DASS-21) was used to measure depression, anxiety and stress among the students, and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS) to measure suicidal ideation. The data were analysed using Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results show that 11.10%, 10.00%, and 9.50% of the students reported that they were experiencing severe depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. There were significant correlations between depression, anxiety, and stress with suicidal ideation. However, only depression was identified as a predictor for suicidal ideation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hence, this study extends the role of depression in predicting suicidal ideation among adolescents in the Malaysian context. The findings imply that teenagers should be assisted in strengthening their positive coping strategies in managing distress to reduce depression and suicidal ideation.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Malaysia (UKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Norhayati
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Malaysia (UKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Noh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amit
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, National University of Malaysia (UKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Melia Wong Yuin
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Suen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D055815:Young Adult