Perceived Social Status and Suicidal Ideation in Maltreated Children and Adolescents

Kelli L Dickerson,Helen M Milojevich,Jodi A Quas

doi:10.1007/s10802-021-00852-7

Abstract

Recent decades have seen an alarming increase in rates of suicide among young people, including children and adolescents (“youth”). Although child maltreatment constitutes a well-established risk factor for suicidal ideation in youth, few efforts have focused on identifying factors associated with maltreated youths’ increased risk for suicidal ideation, especially across development. The present study examined the relations between maltreated youths' (N = 279, M = 12.06 years, 52% female, 53% Latinx) perceptions of their social status and suicidal ideation and compared those relations between pre-adolescents and adolescents. Findings revealed unique developmental patterns: Perceived social status was associated with suicidal ideation, but only in adolescents, who showed greater risk for suicidal ideation if they viewed themselves as lower ranked in society and lower risk for suicidal ideation if they viewed themselves as higher ranked in society. Findings have implications for scientific and practical efforts aimed at better understanding and preventing suicide in a high-risk developmental population.

Highlights

Suicide is a serious global public health concern, especially among young people
18% of the sample reported a history of suicidal ideation
We examined how maltreated youths’ own perceptions of their social status related to adolescents’ and pre-adolescents’ risk for suicidal ideation

Summary

Introduction

Suicide is a serious global public health concern, especially among young people. Recent decades have seen a rising trend in youth suicide rates, with suicide constituting the second leading cause of death among individuals ages 10–34 in the United States and among 15–29-year-olds world-wide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2018; World Health Organization [WHO], 2014). Given variability in rates of suicidal ideation among maltreated youth, of significant interest has been investigations into which specific characteristics in this population lead some but not others toward risk for suicidal ideation (for a review, see Miller et al, 2013). Some empirical research, including with maltreated populations, is consistent with theoretical models: Maltreatment is associated with global negative views of oneself, the world, and future, and such views have been further linked with risk for suicidal ideation in maltreated populations (Miller & Esposito-Smythers, 2013; Miller et al, 2016; Ponce et al, 2004). Suggests more nuanced perceptions may be relevant to suicidal ideation in youth, especially youths’ perceptions of their place in the social hierarchy, referred to as subjective social status (Ko et al, 2014; Wetherall et al, 2019)

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Conclusion