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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2/2013

01-02-2013 | Original Paper

The long-lasting impact of adolescents’ deviant friends on suicidality: a 3-year follow-up perspective

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 2/2013

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Abstract

Background

During adolescence, friends are increasingly important for support and values. Do friends also have a long-term impact on suicidality? This study explored the role of friendship problems (e.g., social isolation) and deviant friends during late adolescence on suicidal ideation and behavior 3 years later.

Method

Participants were 295 community adolescents (59 % Mexican-American; 41 % European-American) from the United States. Information about their suicidal ideation and behavior, depression, friendship problems, and deviant friends was collected at baseline and at a 3-year follow-up.

Results

Having deviant friends was a better predictor of suicidality than having friendship problems, with variability by sex and ethnicity. Having deviant friends predicted suicidal ideation among Mexican-American adolescents. Having friends who were disconnected from school was a risk factor for suicidal ideation among European-American adolescents but a protective factor for suicidal behavior among Mexican-American adolescents, especially boys. Depression played more of a mediating role between friendship factors and suicidality for European-American than for Mexican-American adolescents.

Conclusions

This study’s findings suggest an influence of adolescents’ deviant friends on suicidality 3 years later. They also call for the cultural and gender grounding of suicide theory, research and prevention.
Footnotes
1
The term “suicidality” refers to suicidal ideation and/or behavior. “Nonfatal suicidal behavior” (in lieu of "suicide attempts") refers to suicidal acts that a person survived, and "suicide" (in lieu of "completed or successful suicide”) to suicidal acts that resulted in death. This terminology avoids the problematic message, implicit in traditional terminology that surviving a suicidal act represents a failure and, conversely, that killing oneself is a success (see Canetto [5], Canetto and Lester [7] for an analysis of suicidal behavior terminology).
 
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Metadata
Title
The long-lasting impact of adolescents’ deviant friends on suicidality: a 3-year follow-up perspective
Publication date
01-02-2013
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 2/2013
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0529-2

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