Citation

Mishara BL. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1999; 29(2): 105-118.

Affiliation

Centre for Research and Intervention on Suicide and Euthanasia (CRISE), University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada. mishara.brian@uqam.ca

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10407964

Abstract

Interviews were conducted with 65 public school children in Grades 1-5 concerning their understanding of and experiences with death and suicide, and investigating the development of the Piagetian concepts of life and age. By third grade, children have an elaborate understanding of suicide, and younger children generally understand "killing oneself," although their understanding of death and living may be immature. Children learn about suicide from television and discussions with other children, but they rarely discuss suicide with adults. The level of development of the concept of suicide is related to maturity rather than specific experiences. Implications for primary prevention are discussed.