The Development of the Concept of Suicide in Children

Dados Bibliográficos

ID13629236
AutoresClaude L Normand (0000-0002-8250-1233, University of Victoria, autor correspondente), Brian L Mishara (0000-0003-2449-6269, Université du Québec à Montréal)
Ano1992
Volume25
Fascículo3
Páginas183-203
Data de publicação1992-11-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoOMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0030-2228 • E-ISSN: 1541-3764
EditoraSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2190/7tg9-nvg3-1rbj-udah
OpenAlexW2055066052
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas17

This study evaluated the development of the concept of suicide in sixty children ages six to eleven. It was hypothesized that children's understanding of the concept of suicide would be related to their age, cognitive development, maturity of the concept of death, experiences with death and suicide, and attitudes toward suicide. Twenty children in each of the grades one, three, and five were interviewed using open-ended and structured questions to evaluate these concepts. We found that 10 percent of first graders, 50 percent of third graders, and 95 percent of fifth graders have a basic understanding of suicide. Attitudes toward suicide were neutral or negative. Results from regression analyses confirmed that, among those who knew what “suicide” meant, the concept of suicide was significantly related to the concept of death and experiences with death, and it was also related to age when all participants were considered. When only simple correlations were considered, age is significantly related, as are experiences with suicide and cognitive development for the entire sample. Contrary to popular beliefs, children develop detailed knowledge of suicide early in life, and the concept of suicide relates to the development of the concept of death

Cognition · Developmental psychology · Injury prevention · Maturity (psychological · Medical emergency · Poison control · Psychiatry · Suicide attempt · Suicide methods · Suicide prevention · Suicide rates · Clinical Psychology · Gun Ownership and Violence Research · Medicine · Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies