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Study shows teenagers
with suicidal thoughts suffer long-term problems
(October
2006 Issue)
By Elinor Nelson
Teenagers with suicidal thoughts could be looking at a lifetime
of dysfunction and mental illness, concludes the Simmons Longitudinal
Study, which followed 378 children from age five through 30 from
a southeastern Massachusetts community. Don't just chalk it up to
teenage angst, caution the study's authors, because these teens
may face increased risk of suicide, mental and behavioral disorders
and lower incomes and they're even more likely as adults to be living
with their parents.
These conclusions are among many from the Simmons study, which
has been following the group of people from a mostly working and
lower middle class white community since 1976, when the participants
were entering kindergarten. "This is a group not often studied,
but representative of middle America," comments principal investigator
Helen Reinherz, Sc.D, MSW. Initially, the study was funded just
until the children reached third grade, but was continued "because
it was so damned interesting," says Reinherz.
Study participants, as well as parents, guardians, teachers, spouses
and significant others have all been interviewed over the years
and this year is the study's final one. "They've been relatively
straightforward with us because we've been with them for such a
long period of time," adds Reinherz. This study, funded by the National
Institute of Mental Health, is one of the longest continuously running
community studies in the United States.
Specifically, the study revealed that at age 15, twenty percent
of the children showed suicidal ideation, a representative percentage,
Reinherz says. Once identified, the researchers suggested clinical
resources for treatment and received permission to speak with parents.
By age 30, those with adolescent suicidal ideation were 12 times
more likely to have attempted suicide and were two and one half
times more likely to have an anxiety disorder than their peers,
showed lower self esteem, had more need of social support and reported
more problem behaviors.
But while males with suicidal ideation had significantly lower
salaries and were more likely to live with their parents at age
30 than those without adolescent suicidal ideation, there were no
such differences among females.
Some traditional markers of adulthood, however, remain unchanged.
By age 30, both groups were equally likely to have completed college,
married and had children. Study authors viewed these markers as
cause for concern, because their disorders and deficits may interfere
with their success.
The critical message, Reinherz says, is that one shouldn't "ignore
the distress. We must get them some help, even if they say they're
thinking about suicide but wouldn't do it."
A limitation of the study, Reinherz concedes, is its focus on a
Caucasian community. "I think it's probably the same with minorities,
but it would be wrong scientifically to say that's true. We need
more studies and it's important to broaden it to [other populations]."
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