The Role of Social Support and Social Context on the Incidence of Attempted Suicide Among Adolescents Living in Extremely Impoverished Communities

PurposeEvaluate the impact of social support and social context on suicide attempt in disadvantaged adolescents, and calculate that longitudinal risk of suicide attempt.MethodsSeven thousand two hundred ninety-nine adolescents were used to evaluate the effect of social support and context on suicide attempt, and to estimate the overall risk of suicide attempt.ResultsIncreased peer support reduced the risk of suicide attempt, and increased perceived inevitability of violence led to an increase in risk among 9-year-old children. As children age, the effect of overall peer support remains consistent, while there is a reduction in the effect of inevitability of violence. Approximately 36% of extremely impoverished adolescents attempt suicide by the age of 19.ConclusionsThe current study provides insight into the nature of suicide attempt within a grossly understudied population. Social support and social context have an important impact on suicidal behavior in extremely disadvantaged adolescents.