Adolescent suicidal behaviors in the context of adaptation difficulties

• Authors: Urbanek, Arkadiusz

Abstracts

EN

In the article, I discuss the circumstances of suicidal attempts made by adolescents aged 14-21 and ponder this issue in the context of risk factors and theoretical determinants. I analyze suicide from an epidemiological and functional perspective. I present the statistical frequency of occurrences, risk factors, and mechanisms that accompany suicide among children and adolescents. I reviewed the findings of British, American, and Polish research within this scope, pointing out the similarities in cognitive, volitional, and emotional changes in adolescents dying by suicide. In the theoretical part of the article, I focus on the theory of emotion dysregulation (Linehan, 1993) and the interpersonal theory of suicide (Van Orden et al., 2010), outlining two areas in which the risk of adolescent suicide increases. I study the areas of emotions and interpersonal relationships. I show how they relate to adaptation difficulties, changes in mood, and temperament. The research procedure provided for analysis of reference materials including suicide notes left by adolescents and statements by their family and friends that would allow reconstruction of the period before suicide. I analyze the reference materials, which constitute prosecutors’ archives, with the use of the semantic field method. The findings are presented with focus on how the emotions experienced are described and how interpersonal relationships are interpreted. I was looking for keywords used for these descriptions, the frequency of their use, and the context for interpretation of statement fragments. The semantic analysis performed allowed me to frame conclusions important for educators that point to areas in which adolescents inform about their adverse adaptation experiences. The ability to create space for expression and interpretation of the message becomes one of pedagogical preventive measures. At the same time, the process of interpreting the meanings that emerged from children's and adolescents’ suicide notes provides valuable information that explain difficulties in expressing their suffering and pressure to adults.

Keywords

EN

emotions; relationships; adolescents; suicide; suicide note

• Publisher: Akademia Pedagogiki Specjalnej im. Marii Grzegorzewskiej. Wydawnictwo APS
• Journal: Szkoła Specjalna
• Year: 2019
• Volume: LXXX(5)
• Pages: 325-339

Dates

published

2019-12-13

Contributors

author

Urbanek, Arkadiusz

Identifiers

DOI

10.5604/01.3001.0013.6411