TY - JOUR
T1 - Adolescent social networks matter for suicidal trajectories
T2 - Disparities across race/ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, and socioeconomic status
AU - Xiao, Yunyu
AU - Lindsey, Michael A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Cambridge University Press.
PY - 2022/11/3
Y1 - 2022/11/3
N2 - Background Examining social networks, characterized by interpersonal interactions across family, peer, school, and neighborhoods, offer alternative explanations to suicidal behaviors and shape effective suicide prevention. This study examines adolescent social networks predicting suicide ideation and attempt trajectories transitioning to adulthood, while revealing differences across racial/ethnic, sex, sexual identity, and socioeconomic status. Methods Participants included 9421 high school students (Mage = 15.30 years; 54.58% females, baseline) from Waves I-IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, 1994-2008. Latent class growth analyses were conducted to identify suicide ideation and attempt trajectories. Multivariate multinomial logistic regressions examined the relationships between social network characteristics during adolescence and suicidal trajectories. Interaction terms between social networks and sociodemographic characteristics were included to test moderation effects. Results Three suicidal ideation trajectories (low-stable, high-decreasing, moderate-decreasing-increasing) and two suicide attempt trajectories (low-stable, moderate-decreasing) were identified. Greater family cohesion significantly reduced the probability of belonging to high-decreasing (Trajectory 2) and moderate-decreasing-increasing (Trajectory 3) suicidal ideation trajectories, and moderate-decreasing (Trajectory 2) suicide attempt trajectory. Race/ethnicity, sex, and sexual identity significantly moderated the associations between social networks (household size, peer network density, family cohesion, peer support, neighborhood support) and suicidal trajectories. Conclusions Social networks during adolescence influenced the odds of belonging to distinct suicidal trajectories. Family cohesion protected youth from being in high-risk developmental courses of suicidal behaviors. Social networks, especially quality of interactions, may improve detecting adolescents and young adults at-risk for suicide behaviors. Network-based interventions are key to prevent suicidal behaviors over time and suicide intervention programming.
AB - Background Examining social networks, characterized by interpersonal interactions across family, peer, school, and neighborhoods, offer alternative explanations to suicidal behaviors and shape effective suicide prevention. This study examines adolescent social networks predicting suicide ideation and attempt trajectories transitioning to adulthood, while revealing differences across racial/ethnic, sex, sexual identity, and socioeconomic status. Methods Participants included 9421 high school students (Mage = 15.30 years; 54.58% females, baseline) from Waves I-IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, 1994-2008. Latent class growth analyses were conducted to identify suicide ideation and attempt trajectories. Multivariate multinomial logistic regressions examined the relationships between social network characteristics during adolescence and suicidal trajectories. Interaction terms between social networks and sociodemographic characteristics were included to test moderation effects. Results Three suicidal ideation trajectories (low-stable, high-decreasing, moderate-decreasing-increasing) and two suicide attempt trajectories (low-stable, moderate-decreasing) were identified. Greater family cohesion significantly reduced the probability of belonging to high-decreasing (Trajectory 2) and moderate-decreasing-increasing (Trajectory 3) suicidal ideation trajectories, and moderate-decreasing (Trajectory 2) suicide attempt trajectory. Race/ethnicity, sex, and sexual identity significantly moderated the associations between social networks (household size, peer network density, family cohesion, peer support, neighborhood support) and suicidal trajectories. Conclusions Social networks during adolescence influenced the odds of belonging to distinct suicidal trajectories. Family cohesion protected youth from being in high-risk developmental courses of suicidal behaviors. Social networks, especially quality of interactions, may improve detecting adolescents and young adults at-risk for suicide behaviors. Network-based interventions are key to prevent suicidal behaviors over time and suicide intervention programming.
KW - Adolescence
KW - family cohesion
KW - health disparities
KW - life course
KW - minority
KW - social networks
KW - suicidal ideation
KW - suicidal trajectories
KW - suicide attempt
KW - young adult
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101968580&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85101968580&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0033291721000465
DO - 10.1017/S0033291721000465
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85101968580
SN - 0033-2917
VL - 52
SP - 3677
EP - 3688
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
IS - 15
ER -