Prevelance and Correlates of Sociodemographic Factors on Adolescent Suicide Behavior

Research on adolescent mental health suggests that prevalence rates for suicide behavior are not uniformly distributed across all populations. This study examined sociodemographic difference in suicide intentions and suicide attempts among adolescent students of Mumbai schools and colleges. An epidemiological pilot survey was conducted on a sample of 1127 young people from 9 schools and colleges in Mumbai city. Rates of suicidal ideation and attempts were examined against the sociodemographic factors. Analysis used frequency distributions and cross tabulations to derive prevalence rates and associations between suicidal behavior and sociodemographic factors. Overall, 12.0% of the sample reported having suicidal ideation and 6.1% reported having made a suicide attempt during the past 6 months. Culturally relevant sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, religion, caste, linguistic background and socioeconomic factors were associated with both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Where the aetiology of suicide is concerned, researchers must examine both sociodemographic factors and the psychological factors associated with them. Understanding the role of sociodemographic factors on suicide behavior will greatly enhance our ability to design effective prevention strategies.