preview

Social Cognitive Model Of Teenage Suicide

Decent Essays
Open Document

In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death among persons between the ages of 10-24 [1]. In addition, a large percentage of adolescents consider committing suicide. The Centers for Disease Control found that 16% of students in high schools nationwide reported seriously considering suicide, while 8 percent reported trying to take their own life [1]. One of the difficulties in addressing the issue of suicide is the stigma attached to it. People are unwilling to discuss it publically. [1]
Suicide is complex and has many varied risked factors. Attempts are most common between the ages of 16-18 [2]. Females are more likely to attempt and contemplate suicide, but males are more likely to complete suicide attempts [2]. Native Americans suffer from the highest rates of suicide [2]. Besides the secular characteristics of suicide, there are some …show more content…

The relationships between hopelessness, significant personal loss, and suicide ideation and attempt can be viewed through the lens of the social cognitive theory of behavior. The social cognitive theory explains human behavior by contextualizing the individual’s characteristics, their environment, and the behavior itself as a “dynamic, reciprocal model” [4]. In the context of the social cognitive model, it is possible to understand how hopelessness, a serious sense of personal loss, and suicidality can be seen as interrelated and reciprocal components of suicidal behavior. A sense of hopelessness is a personal characteristic that an individual possesses. A severe sense of loss, an environmental factor, may act as a catalyst for a sense of hopelessness. Finally, the ideation of suicide or attempting suicide can both result from feelings of hopelessness and loss or may further exacerbate the feelings of hopelessness and

Get Access