Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale Research Articles

Suicidal Tendency and Family Orientation: Basis for Prevention Program

Suicide is a social issue that everyone must address. Each year, more than 700,000 people die by suicide (WHO,2021). Every suicide has a devastating effect on the family and society. We define suicide as the deliberate termination of one's own life. In order to achieve its purpose, this study employed a quantitative research strategy that emphasized descriptive-correlational research. Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale by Israel Orbach was utilized. This instrument consisted of two components: (1) a research instrument consisting of items that gathered the birth order, type of family and menta health background; and (2) the MAST Scale, a four-point Likert scale consisting of thirty items divided into four types of attitude: attraction to life, repulsion by life, attraction to death and repulsion by death. The researcher used SPSS to generate descriptive statistics to describe the sociodemographic profile and Spearman rho to establish the association between variables following data collection. The findings shown conclusively that students who reside with their parents (nuclear family) are more likely to accept life. In contrast, students who lived in stepfamilies or blended families tend to reject life. However, birth order and family mental background had no significant link with suicidal tendencies. This study suggests the promotion of mental health prevention programs, especially for students living with stepfamilies. The findings will provide the academic institution with a foundation for designing counseling programs, such as Psychosocial Intervention, to address the needs of students with suicidal tendencies.

Linking Career Anxiety with Suicide Tendencies among University Undergraduates

Background: Suicide is increasingly becoming a worldwide public health issue. The issue of suicide in universities is one of the most pressing concerns in Nigeria and the world. Yet, it has not been clear the factors that account for increased suicide among university students. This study investigated the link between career anxiety and suicidal tendencies among university undergraduates. Methods: The study was cross-sectional correlational and used a sample of 3,501 undergraduates in Nigeria. Career anxiety was measured using the two-factor career anxiety scale (CAS -2). At the same time, suicide tendencies were weighed using the Multi-attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST), and Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scales (SIDAS). Results: Data collected were analyzed using percentages to interpret demographic data. Mean and standard deviation was presented for descriptive purposes. Linear regression was used to explore the links between career anxiety and suicidal tendencies at p < 0.05 level of significance. Results indicated that a high level of career anxiety was significantly correlated with increased suicidal tendencies, such as repulsion for life, attraction to death, and suicidal ideation. A low level of career anxiety was associated with decreased suicidal tendencies, characterized by an increased attitude toward attraction to life and repulsion to death. Conclusion: It was concluded that students with problematic career anxiety are likely to report a negative attitude toward life, which leads to increased suicidal ideation. Accordingly, career anxiety may cause one to seriously consider or contemplate suicide.

Linking Career Anxiety with Suicide Tendencies among University Undergraduates

Background: Suicide is increasingly becoming a worldwide public health issue. The issue of suicide in universities is one of the most pressing concerns in Nigeria and the world. Yet, it has not been clear the factors that account for increased suicide among university students. This study investigated the link between career anxiety and suicidal tendencies among university undergraduates. Methods: The study was cross-sectional correlational and used a sample of 3,501 undergraduates in Nigeria. Career anxiety was measured using the two-factor career anxiety scale (CAS -2). At the same time, suicide tendencies were weighed using the Multi-attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST), and Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scales (SIDAS). Results: Data collected were analyzed using percentages to interpret demographic data. Mean and standard deviation was presented for descriptive purposes. Linear regression was used to explore the links between career anxiety and suicidal tendencies at p < 0.05 level of significance. Results indicated that a high level of career anxiety was significantly correlated with increased suicidal tendencies, such as repulsion for life, attraction to death, and suicidal ideation. A low level of career anxiety was associated with decreased suicidal tendencies, characterized by an increased attitude toward attraction to life and repulsion to death. Conclusion: It was concluded that students with problematic career anxiety are likely to report a negative attitude toward life, which leads to increased suicidal ideation. Accordingly, career anxiety may cause one to seriously consider or contemplate suicide.

Efficacy and safety of medical treatment in the clinical management of adolescents with gender dysphoria (gd): a prospective follow-up study

<h3>Objectives</h3> The present study assessed the efficacy of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone agonists (GnRHas) treament and Gender Affirming Hormonal Treatment (GAHT) in terms of psychological functioning and physical changes in a sample of adolescents with GD assessed at the Florence Gender Incongruence Unit. <h3>Methods</h3> Thirty adolescents -17 assigned Female at birth (AFAB) and 13 assigned male at birth (AMAB)- were evaluated at first referral (T0), shortly before the start of GnRHa (Triptorelin; T1) and after an average follow-up of 7 ±3.18 months (T2). Moreover, a subgroup of seventeen adolescents (11 AFAB and 6 AMAB) was evaluated after six months (T3) of GAHT. At each time point physical and biochemical examinations were performed, and general phsychopatology, depressive symptoms and suicidal risk were measured through validated questionnaires (Youth Self Report (YSR), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST)). <h3>Results</h3> Average age of adolescents at T1 was 14.4± [if gte msEquation 12]><m:oMath><i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:12.0pt; line-height:107%;font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA'><m:r>±</m:r></span></i></m:oMath><![endif][if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/></v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:9pt; height:15pt'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/User/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png" o:title="" chromakey="white"/></v:shape><![endif]2.06 years old. A significant reduction in gonadotropins levels and Tanner stage were observed at T2 vs. T1 in both genders (all p<0.05). Body mass index (BMI) and mean arterial blood pressure (BP) showed no significant increase in adolescents treated with GnRHas. After six months of GAHT BMI significantly increased in transboys (p<0.05), but no impact on mean arterial BP was observed in both genders. Psychological support alone resulted in no changes in psychological functioning, whereas a significant increase in attraction to life (MAST scale) and a significant decrease in general phsychopatology (YRS internalizing subscale) was observed with GnRHa treatment together with psychological support (p<0.05). Depressive symptoms progressively decreased at T2 and at T3 (p<0.05). <h3>Conclusions</h3> These preliminary data show that GnRHa therapy is effective in suppressing pubertal changes with no impact on mean arterial BP and BMI in trans adolescents; GAHT had no impact on mean BP. Also, puberty suppression together with psychological support showed efficacy in improving psychological functioning. <h3>Conflicts of Interest</h3> The Authors have no conflict of interest

Psychological and behavioral characterization of suicide ideators and suicide attempters in adolescence.

Suicide is a global cause of death, a chronic disability, and a significant public health problem. Recent works emphasize the importance of differentiating people with suicide ideation (SI) and people with suicidal attempts (SA), so we conducted a clinical cross-sectional study to better characterize the features most associated with SA. We enrolled 88 adolescents (77 females) from 12 to 18 years of age (M = 15.21, SD = 1.63) admitted to Northern Italian Child Neurology and Psychiatry Service who presented SI and/or SA. We conducted an assessment using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, and divided participants into two groups: adolescents with SA, and adolescents with thoughts about killing themselves which may include a plan but no suicidal attempts (SI). We found that the SA group showed greater severity of SI [t(86) = −3.485, p < 0.001], higher levels of subjective depression [t(70) = −2.65, p = 0.01)], and a higher prevalence of personality disorders [ = 8.775, p = 0.032] than the SI group. Both groups presented a prevalence of internalizing problems compared to the externalizing ones in the Youth Self-Report (YSR). Higher scores on YSR internalizing problems correlate positively with the “Repulsion by Life” subscale of the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency (MAST) Scale in both SA and SI groups (p = 0.41 and p = 0.67, respectively), while low levels of the MAST “Attraction to Life” subscale appear more often in the SA one (p = −0.71). In conclusion, results showed that some features (e.g., prevalence of personality disorders, SI intensity, and subjective depression) might help clinicians distinguish between patients with SI and those with SA and support the importance of carefully pursuing this distinction in research.

High-school students and self-injurious thoughts and behaviours: clues of emotion dysregulation

BackgroundSuicide attempts and self-harm in adolescence are a major public health concern: they are among the main causes of disability-adjusted life-years worldwide, with severe long-term health consequences in terms of mental illness and psychiatric hospitalisation and a significantly increased risk of suicide. Several studies recently focused on the hypothesis that adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to emotional dysregulation and on the relation between problems with emotion regulation and suicidal and self-harming behaviours.Italian epidemiological data about prevalence of these behaviours at the community level are lacking.Our study aimed to estimate the prevalence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviours (SITBs) in a representative sample of community adolescents, and to examine the association between SITBs and the emotional and behavioural profiles.MethodsAnonymous self-report questionnaires were completed by 1507 students aged 11–18 years from 24 high schools in the North-eastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Information was collected on SITBs, on the socio-environmental context, and on the psychological profile (‘Achenbach’s YSR questionnaire 11–18, Multidimensional Test of Self-harm and Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale).ResultsOverall, 11.1% of adolescents reported self-harming behaviours without suicide ideation or attempts, 6.4% declared having thought to suicide without acting a suicide attempt or self-harm, 1.4% declared having attempted suicide and really thought to take away their life. Access to health services following a suicide thought, a self-harming behaviour or suicide attempt was infrequent, particularly for suicide ideation. At the YSR, all the SITBs groups reported high scores in almost all scales, with the most evident differences in the self-harming groups in which adolescents reported significantly higher scores in all scales, both internalising and externalising. An emotion dysregulation profile was found in almost all the groups.ConclusionsThis study provides us with an estimate of the prevalence of SITBs in the adolescent population and confirms the importance of further investigating the association between SITBs and emotion dysregulation. The naturalistic setting of community studies appears to be useful for studies in this field, and it allows to approach the onerous and often neglected issue of adolescent suicidality.

P-06-15 Efficacy of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonists in the Clinical Management of Adolescents With Gender Dysphoria: A Prospective Follow-UP Study

Current guidelines recommend the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHas) as the treatment of choice to suppress puberty in adolescents with Gender Incongruence/Gender Dysphoria (GI/GD). The onset of the pubertal physical changes in transgender youth usually leads to a worsening of GD, distress and psychological functioning. GnRHas reduce suffering caused by pubertal development, leaving the body in a neutral state and allowing these adolescents to explore their gender identity. The aim of the present study is to compare psychological functioning before and after GnRHas treatment in a sample of adolescents with GD assessed at the Florence Gender Incongruence Unit and to demonstrate that GnRHas are effective in relieving distress caused by the development of secondary sex characteristics. Fourteen gender dysphoric adolescents were evaluated at 0, 3 and 6 months after the start of GnRHas (triptorelin 3,75 mg every 28 days). The evaluation included physical examination, blood samples and psychometric tests, such as: Youth Self Report (YSR) to measure psychological functioning; Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST) to define suicide risk; Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to evaluate depressive symptoms.

Study of Relationship Between Humor Styles and Attitude Toward Suicide with Psychological Well- Being in Teenagers

The adolescence is considered a dangerous period for the suicide. In this period, the suicide commitment as a behavior sometimes is regarded as a solution for the mental and external conflicts. The suicide is of mental health problems. The researches done in the case of suicide study three crucial phenomena including suicidal thoughts, attempting suicide and suicide itself. The present research aims to study the relationship between the humor styles and attitude toward suicide with the psychological well- being in the teenagers. Descriptive- surveying method has been applied in this study. The statistic population of present study includes all the male and female teenagers of Zahedan city during the school year 2018- 19. The studied sample was selected by random sampling and Cochran formula that its volume was equal to 270 members. The tools used for collecting data were the questionnaires including Martin and his colleagues' questionnaire (1998) and Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST) questionnaire presented by Orbach and his colleagues. SPSS25 software was used for analyzing the data. According to the descriptive statistics of the data, among the dimensions of humor styles and dimensions of attitude toward suicide, the most average is related to the self- defeating style and the affiliative style, respectively. The results of data analysis confirmed all the existing hypotheses and revealed that there is relationship between the humor styles and the attitude toward suicide with the psychological well- being in the teenagers.

PS-07-010 Psychological survey and medical form to establish objective evaluation criteria of outcome about phalloplasty in pediatric age

The problem of objective assessment about aesthetic/functional Results and psychological implication after male external genitalia reconstructive surgery is yet known in the literature. To establish objective evaluation criteria of outcome about De Castro’s neo-phalloplasty in children, we created a psychological survey submitted to patients/parents and a form with medical parameters evaluated from the surgeon Medical form is divided in subjective and objective parameters. Subjective (surgeons’, parents’ and patients’ estimations) parameters are: overall appearance of external genitalia, look of penis - scrotum - penile scars - abdominal scars and look/position of the umbilicus; scored as extremely-poor, poor, acceptable, good, excellent or better in a ranking from 0 to 10. Objective parameters are: Tanner scale, Faisal external and internal masculinization score, sex hormones attitude, length of the ventral and dorsal aspect of penis and difference between the two, penile diameter, location of the urethral ending, urinary continence/voiding, patient’s position during micturition, presence of penile erection – masturbation - erogenous areas - sexual intercourse – insertion of penile prosthesis. The survey evaluate patients and parents psychological/sexual aspects and quality of life post-phalloplasty. Tests used: Child Behaviour Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, Children Global Assessment Scale, Body Uneasiness Test, Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale, Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire, Duss Tales, Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale, Body Image Scale, Recalled Childhood Gender Identity Scale

Gratitude Questionnarie (GQ-6): Evidence of construct validity in Brazil

This paper aims to adapt the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6) to Brazil, gathering evidence of its validity (factorial and criterion) and reliability. Two studies were carried out. Participants in Study 1 were 471 undergraduate students (Mage = 22.8; 59.2% females), who answered the GQ-6 and demographic questions. To conduct exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factorial analyses, respectively, this sample was split in two (n1 = 226; n2 = 245). The EFA (Hull method) indicated a one-dimensional solution (α = 0.87), which was corroborated by CFA (e.g., CFI = 0.99; α = 0.72). Participants in Study 2 were 515 undergraduate students (Mage = 23.1; 56.6% females), who answered the previous instruments, the 12-item Purpose of Life Test, and the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale. Results corroborated the one-factor structure (e.g., CFI = 0.97; α = 0.71), showing evidence of criterion validity (p < .001) of the GQ-6 with meaning of life [existential lack (r = −.50) and personal achievement (r = .52)] and attitudes towards life [attraction to life (r = .44) and repulsion by life (r = −.49)]. In conclusion, the GQ-6 showed evidence of validity (factorial and criterion) and reliability, justifying its use in Brazil.

Psychological characteristics of Italian gender dysphoric adolescents: a case-control study.

Gender dysphoria (GD) is associated with clinically significant distress and impairment in social, scholastic, and other important areas of functioning, especially when early onset is reported. The aim of the present study is to assess the psychopathological features associated with GD in adolescence, comparing a group of gender dysphoric adolescents (GDs) with a group of non-referred adolescents (NRs), in terms of body uneasiness, suicide risk, psychological functioning, and intensity of GD. A sample of 46 adolescents with GD and 46 age-matched NRs was evaluated (mean ± SD age = 16.00 ± 1.49 and 16.59 ± 1.11 respectively, p > 0.05). Subjects were asked to complete the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) to explore body uneasiness, the Youth Self Report (YSR) to measure psychological functioning, the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST) for suicide risk, and the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire for Adolescents and Adults (GIDYQ-AA) for GD assessment. Adolescents with GD reported significantly higher levels of body uneasiness (BUT-GSI, F = 380.13, p < 0.0001), as well as a worse psychological functioning (YSR, F = 13.06 and p < 0.0001 for "total problem scale" and F = 12.53, p = 0.001 for "internalizing" scale) as compared to NRs. When YSR subscales were considered, GDs showed significantly higher scores in the "withdrawal/depression", "anxiety/depression", and "social problems" (all p < 0.0001). In addition, GDs showed significantly higher levels in the "attraction to death" and "repulsion by life" scales and lower scores in the "attraction to life" scale (all p < 0.0001). Finally, GIDYQ-AA score was significantly lower (meaning a higher level of gender dysphoria symptoms) in GDs vs. NRs (p < 0.0001). GD adolescents reported significantly higher body dissatisfaction and suicidal risk compared to NRs. In addition, results confirmed a significant impairment in social psychological functioning in adolescents with GD.

Does Religiosity Mediate Suicidal Tendencies? A South African Study of Muslim Tertiary Students.

Despite international studies into religion's protective mechanism against suicidal tendencies, within South Africa there is a paucity of research investigating this relationship. This quantitative study investigates the relationship between religiosity and suicidal tendencies in a sample of Muslim students (N=111). Two scales were used to test the hypothesis that religion mediates suicidal tendency: the Religious Orientation Test and the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale. The findings confirmed this hypothesis but disconfirmed our second hypothesis that there would be gender differences between the variables. We concluded that a high degree of religiosity acts as a protective mechanism against suicidal tendencies and discuss the implications of our findings.

Non-suicidal self-injury (Nssi) in adolescent inpatients: assessing personality features and attitude toward death

BackgroundNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a common concern among hospitalized adolescents, and can have significant implications for short and long-term prognosis. Little research has been devoted on how personality features in severely ill adolescents interact with NSSI and "attitude toward life and death" as a dimension of suicidality. Developing more specific assessment methodologies for adolescents who engage in self-harm without suicidal intent is relevant given the recent proposal of a non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) disorder and may be useful in predicting risk in psychiatrically impaired subjects.MethodsConsecutively hospitalized adolescents in a psychiatric unit (N = 52; 71% females; age 12-19 years), reporting at least one recent episode of self-harm according to the Deliberate Self-harm Inventory, were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Mental Disorders and Personality Disorders (SCID I and II), the Children's Depression Inventory and the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST).ResultsMean age onset of NSSI in the sample was 12.3 years. All patients showed "repetitive" NSSI (high frequency of self-harm), covering different modalities. Results revealed that 63.5% of adolescents met criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and that the rest of the sample also met criteria for personality disorders with dysregulated traits. History of suicide attempts was present in 46.1% of cases. Elevated depressive traits were found in 53.8%. Results show a statistically significant negative correlation between the score on the "Attraction to Life" subscale of the MAST and the frequency and diversification of self-harming behaviors.ConclusionsMost adolescent inpatients with NSSI met criteria for emotionally dysregulated personality disorders, and showed a reduced "attraction to life" disposition and significant depressive symptoms. This peculiar psychopathological configuration must be addressed in the treatment of adolescent inpatients engaging in NSSI and taken into account for the prevention of suicidal behavior in self-injuring adolescents who do not exhibit an explicit intent to die.

Cross-cultural attitudes towards suicide among South African secondary school pupils.

To investigate the attitudes towards suicide among Grade II secondary school pupils among three cultural groups in South Africa. Cross sectional study. Grade II Secondary school pupils chosen at random from three urban schools in Pietersburg. The sample included 366 pupils, 150 (41%) males and 216 (59%) females, the mean age was 19.3 years (SD = 2.6), with a range from 17 to 24 years. The three cultural groups were 142 blacks, 112 whites and 112 Asians. Socioeconomic and family background (14 items), suicide data (4 items), and a 30-item Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale for Adolescents (MAST-12). Suicide ideation and plans to commit suicide are the highest among Asians, closely followed by Whites and lowest among Black pupils. The frequency of attempted suicide was lower among Blacks (11.3%) than that among Asians (13.5%) and Whites (13%). Analysis of variance indicated a significantly higher score among suicide attempters on attraction to death and repulsion by life and a significantly lower score on attraction to life and repulsion by death. Furthermore, this study found a significant correlation between total MAST, suicide ideation, suicide intent, history of completed suicide in family or friend, parents divorced, family size and suicide attempt. This study found differential effects across diverse ethnocultural adolescent groups for suicidal ideation, plants and attempts. This gives indications on how suicide prevention programmes can be constructed in culture-congenial ways.

Preliminary validation of the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency (MAST) scale using a South African adolescent sample

Objective: The factor structure of the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency (MAST) scale was examined using a sample of non-white South African adolescents. Method: The MAST scale was administered to 205 secondary school students between 13 and 20 years of age. Results: The scale demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency with alpha values being in line with previous studies using the instrument. Factor analysis confirmed the original four-factor structure of the scale. Strong support was found for the Repulsion by Death (RD) and Attraction to Life (AL) subscales of the instrument, with moderate support for the Atttraction to Death (AD) and Repulsion by Life (RL) subscales. Conclusion: The authors conclude that the generalisability of the MAST can be improved by the inclusion of more culturally relevant items.

ATTITUDES TOWARD LIFE AND DEATH AMONG CHINESE ADOLESCENTS: THE CHINESE VERSION OF THE MULTI-ATTITUDE SUICIDE TENDENCY SCALE

The psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale were examined in a sample of 415 Chinese adolescents. Confirmatory factor analyses of the present data disconfirmed the original 4-factor structure. Exploratory factor analysis was then conducted to explore the underlying structure of the data set. A revised 4-factor structure, with a number of differences in item factor loadings, was obtained for the present sample. The scale also demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent validity with the Depression Self-Rating Scale and Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire. Distinct profiles of the scale were shown on non-suicidals, suicide ideators, and suicide attempters. Discrepant findings from previous work were discussed.

SUICIDE RISK FACTORS FOR YOUNG ADULTS: TESTING A MODEL ACROSS ETHNICITIES

A general path model based on existing suicide risk research was developed to test factors contributing to current suicidal ideation in young adults. A sample of 673 undergraduate students completed a packet of questionnaires containing the Beck Depression Inventory, Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire,and Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale. They also provided information on history of suicidality and exposure to attempted and completed suicide in others. Structural equation modeling was used to test the fit of the data to the hypothesized model. Goodness-of-fit indices were adequate and supported the interactive effects of exposure, repulsion by life, depression, and history of self-harm on current ideation. Model fit for three subgroups based on race/ethnicity (i.e.,White, Black, and Hispanic) determined that repulsion by life and depression function differently across groups. Implications of these findings for current methods of suicide risk assessment and future research are discussed in the context of the importance of culture.

EXPLORATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND/OR SEXUAL ABUSE, ATTITUDES ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH, AND SUICIDAL IDEATION IN YOUNG WOMEN

Experiencing sexual and/or physical abuse at any point in one's life can be quite traumatic. In addition to the immediate effects of the abuse, numerous long-term consequences have been identified, including an increased risk of developing psychological disorders and attempting suicide. We sought to determine if a relationship exists between abuse experiences, attitudes about life and death, and suicidal ideation by surveying 644 college women between the ages of 18 and 24. Participants completed packets containing standardized abuse questionnaires, the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale, and the Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire. We concluded that abuse plays a role in how these young women think about life and death. Specifically, less repulsion by death and more repulsion by life were reported by women with more significant abuse histories. In addition, these same women endorsed higher levels of current suicidal ideation. It was also determined that women who had experienced more abuse tended to have been in therapy for longer periods of time. Implications of this study for mental health professionals working with suicidal young adults are discussed.

Suicide risk assessment in a college student population.

A group of 211 students at a midwestem university completed the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire (M. M. Linehan & S. L. Nielsen, 1981), Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (W. M. Reynolds, 1991a), Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (I. Orbach et al., 1991), Beck Helplessness Scale (A. T. Beck, A. Weissman, D. Lester, & L. Trexler, 1974), and the Reasons for Living Inventory (M. M. Linehan, L. J. Goodstein, S. L. Nielsen, & J. A. Chiles, 1983) to determine if this group of commonly used self-report measures can distinguish between individuals with high and low levels of suicidal ideation and history of self-harmful behaviors. Exploratory principal-axis factor analysis resulted in an interpretable 2-factor solution accounting for 36.2% of the variance in suicidality. Support for convergent validity of the chosen measures was also found. It appears that rapid, accurate assessment of university student suicide risk is possible. Implications for reduction of suicide risk in this segment of the population are discussed.

SUICIDALITY IN PARENTALLY BEREAVED ADOLESCENTS

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects on suicidality of exposure to suicidal behavior in other people, depression, parent perceptions, and attitudes about life and death in a sample of 25 parentally bereaved teens. Participants participated in face-to-face interviews and completed the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale, and the Parent Perception Inventory. These adolescents were not clinically depressed, did not express serious levels of suicidal ideation, and had relatively minor histories of suicidality. However, significant relationships were found between attitudes, exposure, depression, and suicidality in partial support of previous research. Ways in which this study extend our knowledge of bereaved teens and recommendations for future research are discussed.