TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1993//
TI  - Developmental psychopathology in suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescent girls
JO  - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
A1  - Borst, S. R.
A1  - Noam, Gil G.
SP  - 501
EP  - 508
VL  - 32
IS  - 3
N2  - OBJECTIVE: This study presents two distinct profiles of female suicide attempters based on social-cognitive development and investigates the relationship of both developmental and suicide risk variables in these profiles. METHOD: The sample included 139 girls, aged 13-16, admitted to an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Patients were divided into four groups based on their suicidal status (attempter/nonsuicidal) and ego development (preconformist/conformist level). RESULTS: Results support two developmental types of female suicide attempters that differed significantly on symptomatology, diagnoses, and defensive style. Preconformist attempters, the "angry-defiant" suicidal type, present with both depression and aggression as well as externalizing defense mechanisms. Conformist attempters, the "self-blaming" suicidal type, present with depression, and use more internalizing defenses to cope with conflict. Comparing suicide attempters and nonsuicidal girls, depression was found to be a risk factor for suicide at all developmental levels. Defense mechanisms were only associated with suicide at the preconformist developmental level. CONCLUSIONS: Social-cognitive development has an important impact on the expression of suicidal behavior in adolescent girls.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0890-8567
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -