Role of Family Dynamics in Adolescents Suicides

Role of Family Dynamics in Adolescents Suicides

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Role of Family Dynamics in Adolescents Suicides

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The Role of Family Dynamics in Teenage Suicide

Worldwide, every 20 seconds a person takes their own life, accounting for 1.4% of all deaths (Bilsen, 2018).  While statistically, suicide ranks as the fifteenth leading cause of deaths, for adolescents it ranks as the second leading cause of death (Bilsen, 2018).  That fact is of significant concern for mental health service providers focusing their work on adolescents.

Recognizing warning signs, and suicide prevention geared towards children and youth, is likely the most important function of counselors, both inside and outside of the school setting.  I, having personally been touched by one successful suicide attempt, and one unsuccessful attempt, by teenagers within the small community I grew up in.

As a high school student, one of the members of my cheerleading squad committed suicide, by overdosing on medications.  In retrospect, many of us were aware of the discontent she often talked about concerning her step-father, and his strict expectations for her.

Ivy was an outstanding student, very gifted academically, beautiful, talented, super friendly and easy-going.  Yet, regardless of all of these positive attributes, Ivy and her step-father could not seem to understand the needs of the other.

The constant stress and demand of not seeming to meet expectations, at a time in her life when she was engaged in making critical life-choices concerning college choices, finally led her to remove herself from the situation in the only manner she knew how.

Adolescents are “often confronted with high expectations, sometimes too high, from significant relatives and peers.  Such situations inevitably provoke a certain degree of helplessness, insecurity, stress and a sense of losing control (Bilsen, 2018).

Poor communication within the family is also found in many cases of suicide, not only with the child or about the child’s problems, but in general between family members.  Direct conflicts with parents have a great impact, but so do the absence of communication and neglect of communication needs (Bilsen, 2018).

While these factors were present in the case of Ivy’s suicide, they were also present, in combination with other risk factors, in the attempted suicide of a teenage relative.  Keith is the youngest of four.  His older siblings had either all married within the past three years, or were in college, while he had just graduated high school.

His parents were in the process of divorce.  Keith and his dad were never close, and never really communicated with each other without arguing.  The structure that high school had provided had been an important support for Keith.

Faced with all of the upheaval within his family, at the same time his support network had been removed, was more than he could withstand.  Luckily, Keith’s attempt to slash his wrists were not successful, and he was institutionalized for a month in a local hospital’s psychiatric wing.  While there, Keith was diagnosed as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which compounded his inability to cope with all of the changes in his life at once.

Both Ivy and Keith were dealing with some of the family related risk factors our textbook authors point out as impacting adolescent suicides.

Separation of the family unit or divorce, anger, rejection, emotional ambivalence, blended families, limited positive interaction with parents, and poor communication across the family unit are all considered risk factors associated with families of adolescents who attempt suicide – and Ivy and Keith shared most of these family issues (McWhirter & McWhirter & McWhirter & McWhirter, 2016).

Tragically, Ivy did not survive her attempt, and never received the support she needed to conquer her internal struggles and pain.

References

Bilsen, Johan (2018).  Suicide and Youth: Risk Factors.  Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 540.

doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00540.

Clinton, T., Clark, C., & Straub, J. (2010). The Quick Reference Guide to Counseling Teenagers. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

McWhirter, L., McWhirter, E., McWhirter, B., & McWhirter, A. (2017). At Risk Youth: A Comprehensive Response for Counselors, Teachers, Psychologists, and Human Service Professionals: Sixth Edition. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Adolescent suicide is an enormous tragedy and is the most common cause of death for teens (McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, & McWhirter, 2017, p. 241). Psychosocial characteristics of suicidal youth include, but are not limited to, loneliness, mental health disorders, living in violent homes, poor communication, feeling unconnected to others and feeling like a burden on others (McWHirter, 2017, pp 240-247).

LGBTQ (or sexual minority) youth are at an even greater risk for struggling with depression, anxiety, victimization of violence, and suicide than heterosexual youth. In fact, “Forty percent of homosexual teens report having attempted suicide.” (Clinton, Clark & Straub, 2010, p. 253).

The two biggest psychosocial factors to consider are the feelings of burdensomeness and being excluded from others (Baams, Grossman, & Russell, 2015, p. 689). Humans by their very nature need to feel accepted and connected with others.

Feelings of being a burden can occur when the teen sees the pain, they have caused family, friends and loved ones for being homosexual. Humans also intrinsically feel a need to contribute to others in a positive way. (Baams, 2015, p. 694). When they feel that they are a burden and are excluded from others, they feel they cannot possibly contribute to them.

These deficits commonly lead to depression, loneliness, and hopelessness. Even heterosexual teens who are merely perceived as LGBTQ can experience exclusion, depression and bullying. (Poteat, Mereish, GiGiovanni, & Koenig, 2011, p. 598).

With regard to cognitive distortion, many LGBTQ youth may feel that because everyone they know hates them, they are a terrible person. With regard to cognitive rigidity, they feel stuck knowing that their sexual orientation is never going to change and therefore feelings of depression, burdensomeness and exclusion will never change either.

If the youth has lost hope for improvement in their situation, then suicidal thoughts and action are very likely to occur.

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Hope means believing that things can be better at some time in the future. Who could survive without hope? Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This is the verse which gave me hope when I felt hopeless at 14 years of age and wished I was no longer alive. Of course, enduring hope only comes through a relationship with God through Christ which gave me hope at the time as well as hope for the future and for all eternity.

References

Baams, L., Grossman, A. H., & Russell, S. T. (2015). Minority stress and mechanisms of risk for depression and suicidal ideation among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Developmental Psychology, 51(5), 688-696. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1037/a0038994

Clinton, T., Clark, C., & Straub, J. (2010). Sexual orientation. In T. Clinton (Ed.), The quick-reference guide to counseling teenagers (pp. 148-153). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

McWhirter, J. J., McWhirter, B. T., McWhirter, E. H., & McWhirter, R. J. (2017). Youth suicide. In (McWhirter et al., Eds), At-risk youth: A comprehensive response for counselors, teachers, psychologists, and human service professionals (6th ed.). Belmont, TN: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.

Poteat, V. P., Mereish, E. H., DiGiovanni, C. D., & Koenig, B. W. (2011). The effects of general and homophobic victimization on adolescents’ psychosocial and educational concerns: The importance of intersecting identities and parent support. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(4), 597-609. doi:10.1037/a0025095

Role of Family Dynamics in Adolescents Suicides

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