title: The role of social support and social context on the incidence of attempted suicide among adolescents living in extremely impoverished communities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate the impact of social support and social context on suicide attempt in disadvantaged adolescents, and calculate that longitudinal risk of suicide attempt.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven thousand two hundred ninety-nine adolescents were used to evaluate the effect of social support and context on suicide attempt, and to estimate the overall risk of suicide attempt.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increased peer support reduced the risk of suicide attempt, and increased perceived inevitability of violence led to an increase in risk among 9-year-old children. As children age, the effect of overall peer support remains consistent, while there is a reduction in the effect of inevitability of violence. Approximately 36% of extremely impoverished adolescents attempt suicide by the age of 19.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study provides insight into the nature of suicide attempt within a grossly understudied population. Social support and social context have an important impact on suicidal behavior in extremely disadvantaged adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky. Electronic address: colin.farrell@wku.edu.
authors.forename: C Thomas
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.affiliation: College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bolland
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Cockerham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000407:Alabama / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Poverty; Social context; Social support; Suicide attempt; Violence