Almost one-fourth of maltreated adolescents report they have thought about killing themselves in the last two weeks. We draw on Agnew's strain theory to develop a model to account for variability in suicidal thoughts among this high-risk group. We used data from a nationally representative sample of 572 maltreated adolescents, aged 11–15. One dimension of relational strain (poorer relationship with peers) and greater depressed mood were directly related to whether adolescents did or did not think about suicide. Depressed mood mediated the relationship between two strain variables (relationship with caregiver and with school) and suicidal thoughts. Child maltreatment strain (being severely harmed) and substance use were not directly related to suicidal thoughts; however, depressed mood appeared to mediate the relationship between drug use and suicidal thoughts. Adolescents who experience child maltreatment and who appear to be disconnected from caregivers, friends and school should be screened for depression and suicidal thoughts.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2012), suicide is a leading cause of death among young people ages 10–24 years old. In a nationally representative study, approximately 16 percent of high school students considered suicide within the last year (CDC, 2012). Adolescent victims of child maltreatment appear to be at a substantially higher risk of suicidal thoughts than adolescents in the general population. McMeel (2009), using a nationally representative sample, reported that 23 percent of adolescents involved in the Child Protective Services (CPS) system had thought about killing themselves within the last two weeks. Although most adolescents who think about suicide do not attempt suicide (USDHHS, 2012), thinking about killing oneself suggests adolescents are experiencing substantial emotional pain–pain that could be lessened by early intervention.
To develop interventions that prevent suicide attempts among adolescents who have been maltreated, we need to have a better understanding of the precursors to suicidal thoughts within this population. For example, we know very little about whether variability in the maltreatment experience is related to whether maltreated adolescents’ think about committing suicide. The paucity of research on maltreated adolescents and suicidal thoughts can be attributed, in part, to the difficulty in identifying a representative group of maltreated adolescents. This barrier was surmounted in 2006 when the first waves of data from the National Survey on Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW) were released (Kohl, Barth, & The NSCAW Group, 2005). In our analyses, we use NSCAW data to account for variability in suicidal thoughts among maltreated adolescents.
To generate hypotheses for our analysis, we primarily draw on strain theory (Agnew, 1992). Agnew (1992) writes that strain occurs when people fail to achieve goals (viz. status), anticipate or actually lose positive stimuli, or anticipate or actually are exposed to negative stimuli. While research on status strain among adults has focused on career achievement, we focus on academic achievement as an age-specific status strain among adolescents. For positive stimuli, we evaluate adolescents’ relationships (relational strain). To clarify which types of relationships are important in understanding suicidal thoughts, we distinguish between adolescents’ relationships with their peers, with their caregiver, and with their school. Finally, for adolescents who are maltreated, we are concerned with the nature of this negative stimuli, namely severe maltreatment (maltreatment strain). In the Literature, we describe what is known about the direct relationship between suicidal thoughts and academic achievement, adolescents’ relationships and severity of maltreatment. We also review literature on two potential mediators of the potential strain-suicidal thoughts relationship: depressed mood and substance use.
