Citation

George AA. Soc. Work Pract. Res. 2017; 29(1): 73-91.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, University of Johannesburg)

DOI

10.25159/2415-5829/2269

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The incidence of adolescent suicide has become a source of concern in our societies, as suicide rates have nearly trebled in some industrialised countries, with South Africa showing a similar increase. To investigate factors contributing to this concern, a quantitative, crosssectional and correlational approach was used. By utilising an existing data set, a group of 981 Grade 10 learners were selected through random sampling. The sample encompassed urban and rural areas and was distributed across race, gender, and socio-economic groups. The Suicide Ideation Questionnaire, Resilience Scale, Satisfaction with Life, South African Substance Abuse Inventory, and the Stressful Life Events Scale were used to measure the required variables. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed with dispositional and contextual factors significantly contributing to the variance in adolescent suicide ideation. This study concluded that dispositional factors appeared to have a strong determining influence on adolescent suicide behaviour, alluding to the importance of one's disposition. However, other contextual factors such as family structure and received and perceived social support systems cannot be discounted. © Unisa Press 2017.

Language: en

Keywords

Dispositional and contextual factors; Resilience; Satisfaction with life; Stressful life experience; Suicide ideation