Psychiatria i Psychologia Kliniczna (Oct 2015)

The analysis of family risk factors associated with the occurrence of suicidal attempts among girls aged 12–16 years old. A pilot study

  • Aleksandra Rutkowska,
  • Urszula Łopuszańska,
  • Katarzyna Świder,
  • Elżbieta Pac-Kożuchowska,
  • Marta Makara-Studzińska

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15557/PiPK.2015.0019
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 3
pp. 126 – 130

Abstract

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Objective: The analysis of family risk factors associated with the occurrence of suicidal attempts and self-mutilation in girls aged 12–16 years old. Material and method: The participants of this study consisted of 34 girls aged 12–16 years old, hospitalized in the Department of Paediatrics of the Medical University (Klinika Pediatrii UM) in Lublin due to suicidal attempts. Fifty-five percent of the participants came from complete families, 20% were brought up by mothers only, 20% declared their parents to be divorced. The majority of the girls (76%) were hospitalized due to medication overdose, 8% due to medication overdose and vein cutting, and 5% due to medication and alcohol overdose. The participants were presented with a complementary metric survey, and guided interviews were carried out with them. Results: A positive relationship between the number of self-mutilation acts and the number of suicidal attempts has been shown. The greatest number of suicidal attempts has been observed in the group of girls whose parents were divorced. Such a relationship has not been observed in the case of self-mutilation acts. A positive correlation has been observed between the feeling of isolation and the number of self-mutilation acts and suicidal attempts. The increase in the number of family rows was indicative of the increase in the number of self-mutilation acts. The feeling of being rejected by the family was positively related to the number of suicidal attempts. Conclusions: Adolescent girls with a tendency towards suicidal behaviours are simultaneously prone to self-destructive behaviours. Parental relationships affect the girls’ functioning, with the risk of suicidal attempts being higher in the group of girls whose parents are divorced. The risk of suicidal attempts and self-mutilation acts increases with the feeling of isolation in teenage girls.

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