School- and Peer-Related Precipitators of Suicide Among Youth Aged 11-15: A Mixed Methods Examination of Suicide Investigative Reports

Youth are at high risk of suicide during adolescence. According to the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), 657 youths aged 11-15 died by suicide from 2005-2010 in 7 US states. Recently, there has been public attention on youth suicide in the media, specifically on the link between bullying and suicide. This study examines bullying-related suicide incidents and context around the nature of all school-related stressors believed to have contributed to recent youth suicide incidents.

We conduct a mixed methods study of death scene investigator narratives, which detail the circumstances believed to have contributed to suicides based on witness reports and corroborating evidence (e.g., suicide notes). We use law enforcement and medical examiner investigative reports from a random sample of 100 of the 163 suicides among youth aged 11-15 reported to NVDRS by these states in 2010. We apply qualitative codes from 18 overarching topics (e.g., school and bullying problems, family stressors) to NVDRS narratives using NVivo 10.0 software. We then quantify the frequency for each topic and conduct thematic analysis to identify emergent themes.

Preliminary analyses indicate that school- and peer-related stressors are noted by investigators as precipitators of suicide in less than one-third of cases (n=28, 28%). Moreover, contrary to the emphasis that media place on bullying and suicide, disciplinary problems (13 of 28, 46%) are the most common school-related stressors cited in narratives. Of the school-related stressors noted, nine of the 28 suicide cases (32%) include bullying either explicitly or indirectly as a potential precipitator based on other information in the narratives. Other school-related problems include academic (n=4) and athletic issues (n=2).

While school- and peer-related stressors appear to contribute to youth suicide, investigators often cite other conditions that influence suicidal behavior, including familial stress (65%), dating problems (19%), and mental health problems (48%). Also, 53% of cases involve recent crises ranging in topic, but including problems such as break-ups and arguments with parents. The low prevalence of school-related suicide precipitators may also be a product of NVDRS data limitations.

Given the extent to which problems at multiple social ecological levels impact youth, prevention programs that include individual, relationship, and school-level components, while simultaneously strengthening youths’ coping skills, should be implemented and evaluated. Future analyses will include data from 2005-2009 and 2011, and the presentation will include detail on all precipitators of youth suicide noted in NVDRS data and discussion of data limitations.