Factors related to the presence of suicidal ideations in adolescents after a technological disaster

Abstract

BackgroundThree and a half years after a technological disaster, the train derailment in Lac-Mégantic (Quebec, Canada) in 2013, a study was conducted with adolescents to determine their mental health condition. MethodData were collected from 538 young people using a self-administered questionnaire distributed at their secondary school. One question specifically concerned the presence or absence of suicidal ideations. This article compares the characteristics of high school students who had had suicidal ideations during the 12 months preceding the survey (n = 172), with other adolescents in the same age group who had not had such ideations (n = 366). ResultsThis study revealed that close to a third of respondents (32%) said that they had had suicidal ideations during the year preceding the data collection. They differed from the other respondents due to sociodemographic, psychological, educational, familial and social factors. The characteristics related to adolescents’ mental health are mainly associated with the presence of suicidal ideations. ConclusionSuicidal ideations in adolescents are a public health concern and may appear in non-negligible numbers after a disaster. This article indicates the importance after such an event of acting on all the social determinants of health in order to protect young people at risk of developing suicidal ideations and promote their recovery.