Thesis (Scribd)
Thesis (Scribd)
Thesis (Scribd)
Page
Title page 1
Approval Sheet 2
Acknowledgement 3
Table of Contents 4
Chapter 1
Introduction 3
Background of the Study 4
Significance of the Study 5
Hypothesis
Theoretical Framework 6
Scope and Limitation 7
Conceptual Framework
Statement of the Problem 8
Definition of Terms
Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature
Foreign Literature 9
Local Literature 10
CHAPTER 3
Research Methodology
Data Processing Method 11
References
Acknowledgement 12
CHAPTER I
Introduction
Adolescence is a stressful developmental period filled with major changes - body changes,
changes in thoughts, and changes in feelings. Teenagers experience strong feelings of stress,
self-doubt, confusion, fear and uncertainty, as well as pressure to succeed and the ability to
think about things in new ways while they grow up. A lack of a long-term future and no way
of being able to imagine a positive future leads to apathy. Apathy eventually transitions to
depression, which leads to suicidal thoughts. For some teenagers, divorce that lead to new
families and bullying can increase self-doubt. In some cases, suicide appears to be a solution.
The word "suicide" was first introduced in 17th century. It is derived from the Latin word
sui means oneself and caedere means to kill. Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one's
own life. The act of suicide has been constant factor in human history. It has become one of
the biggest social problems of our time affecting all our lives in one way or the other. Right
from the very beginning to this time, the events of suicide have been stressing phenomenon.
Suicide has always been one of the most important philosophical, moral, ethical and religious
problems throughout history.
People who have suicidal thoughts are often so overwhelmed by feeling of sadness and
hopelessness that they think they have no other option. Suicidal Ideation, also known as
suicidal thoughts is thinking about or having an unusual preoccupation with suicide. Most
people who have suicidal thoughts do not on to make suicide attempts, but suicidal thoughts
are considered a risk factor. Suicide ideation is generally associated with depression and other
mood disorders; however, it seems to have associations with many other mental disorders,
life events and family events, all of which may increase the risk of suicidal ideation.
There's no single reason why someone may try to take their own life, but certain factors
can increase the risk. The risk factors vary with age, gender, ethnic group, family dynamics
and stressful life events. Someone may be more likely to attempt suicide if they have a
mental health disorder. Depression is the top risk factor, but there are various other mental
health disorders that can contribute to suicide, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Children who are either victims or perpetrators of bullying are at the highest risk. The victim
and perpetrators are more likely to be depressed than children who are not involved in
bullying. Bullying is associated with increasing suicide risk in young people who are victims
of bullying.
Background of the Study
Teen suicide happens when a young person generally categorized on someone below
age of nineteen, ends their own life. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among
youth – that is to say, every 40 seconds one person committed suicide. Suicide among youth
nationwide increased dramatically in recent years. Suicide attempts are up to twenty times
more frequent than completed suicide. Rates are higher in men than in a women, with males
three to four time more likely to kill themselves than females. However, the rates for non-
fatal, attempted suicide are four times four likely in women than men and are more common
in young adults and adolescents.
The World Health Organization estimates that each year approximately one million people
die from suicide, which represents a global mortality rate of sixteen people per one hundred
thousand or one death every forty seconds. Suicide accounted for 1.4% of all deaths
worldwide according to the World Health Organization. Throughout the world, about two
thousand people kill themselves each day. According to the World Health
Organization(WHO), Philippines have the lowest suicide rate and the South Korea has the
highest suicide rate among Association of Southeast Asian Nation plus Three (ASEAN+3).
Although there are 4.5 million depressed Filipinos – the lowest in Southeast Asia — only one
out of three who suffer from depression will seek the help of a specialist, according to WHO.
One third will not even be aware of their condition.
The prevalence of suicidal ideation is low for the general population, about 9 percent,
however, for those with mental disorders, but the rate is significantly higher. Over 77 percent
of those recently studied by researchers at Helsinki University's Psychiatric
Consortium found their sample of 287 subjects diagnosed with the depressive or bipolar
disorder had suicidal thoughts. Factors associated with suicidal ideation included
hopelessness and childhood physical abuse in addition to their diagnoses.
The most cited risk factors for suicide include psychiatric disorders, genetics, substance
abuse and family and social situations. Oftentimes, psychiatric factors and substance abuse
co-exist. Mental disorders play an overwhelming role in the increased risk of suicide - with
estimates suggesting up to 90 percent of individuals who take their own life suffer from some
type of psychiatric disorder. The mental disorders with the greatest prevalence of suicide risk
associated with them include major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia,
personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and eating disorder. Individuals suffering
from major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder are at the highest risk of suicide - with
risk of suicide increasing 20-fold.
Genetics is thought to play a role in risk of suicide - such that a family history of suicide
tends to indicate an increased risk of suicide among other family members - accounting for
up to 55 percent of suicidal behaviours. According to the study, family and relationship
problems were the most common causes. In its profile of non-fatal self harm cases, around 52
to 87 % of suicide hospital admissions reported having problems with the spouse, boyfriend
or girlfriend, or parents. It is important to understand that the majority of suicide attempts are
expressions of extreme distress, not merely bids for attention.
Family and socio-economic problems are also contributing factors to suicide risk.
Unemployment, homelessness, poverty, childhood sexual abuse, social isolation, loss of a
loved one and other life stresses can all increase the likelihood of suicide. Sexual abuse alone
is thought to contribute to 20 percent of the overall risk of suicide. For some teenagers,
divorce that lead to new families can lead to depression.
Mental health disorders are associated with more than ninety percent of all cases of
suicide. Although depression is more often diagnosed in women, more men than women die
from suicide. Behind major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, substance abuse ranks
as second highest risk factor for suicide.
This research attempts to explore the concept of suicide, and the literature associated with
it. Suicide, as a fact and in fiction, is a most debatable topic, and a with other issues of life, it
is steeped in controversies that have riddled through history. This chapters, seek to introduce
suicide as fact and the fictional aspect of suicide.
By engaging in research, we can work toward understanding suicide and suicidal ideation
more fully and thereby uncover and pursue the best ways to reach and treat those whose
struggle with suicide while providing an evidence base that elevates the issue beyond
awareness and moves us toward action.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a relation between suicidal
ideation and certain personality traits, including self-monitoring, in adolescents. If there is a
link, then adolescents who display certain personality traits and their related behaviours could
be identified as being at risk prior to their suicidal attempts. It is important to help
adolescents at risk for committing suicide before they take their lives. To stop the high rate of
suicidal ideation among adolescents, methods to detect and intervene to prevent suicides from
occurring must be identified. “Because suicidal ideation logically precedes suicidal acts, the
identification of true predictors of ideation would permit a better understanding of suicidal
risk” (de Man and Leduc, 1993, p. 820).
Hypothesis
Approximately one million individuals worldwide died by suicide in 2000, and estimates
suggest that 10 to 20 times more individuals attempted suicide (World Health Organization,
2008). Only two interventions have been shown to prevent deaths by suicide (Fleischmann,
Bertolote, Wasserman, De Leo, Bolhari, Botega, et al., 2008;Motto & Bostrom, 2001) and
only one form of psychotherapy has been shown to prevent suicide attempts in more than one
clinical trial (Linehan, Comtois, Murray, Brown, Gallop, Heard, et al., 2006). Why is the
state of knowledge for such a devastating psychological phenomenon relatively lacking?
One answer may be that suicidal behaviour is difficult to study (for a discussion of this
issue, see Prinstein, 2008). First, very large samples are needed because the base rates of
suicide attempts and deaths are low in the general population (Mościcki, 2001). Second,
individuals with suicidal behaviours are often excluded from clinical trials due to safety
concerns on the part of researchers (Rudd, Joiner, & Rajab, 2001). Finally, individuals who
die by suicide are not available for psychological assessments, thus limiting methods
researchers can employ. Another explanation may lie with the status of theory in the suicide
literature. Prinstein (2008) notes, “few theoretical models have been offered to help
understand self-injury in the manner that other manifestations of psychopathology have been
examined. In particular, few studies have considered integrative models that address interplay
between dynamic systems within the individual and between individuals and their
environments”. Thus, another explanation for the relatively low number of empirical
advances in understanding the causes and correlates of suicide, as well as methods for suicide
prevention, may therefore be the absence of a theory that can comprehensively explain
known facts about suicide, as well as reliably and precisely identify risk for future
occurrences of suicidal behaviour.
Here, we propose the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide to explain heretofore unexplained
facts about suicide and to increase our understanding of the etiology of suicide. Briefly,
according to the theory, the most dangerous form of suicidal desire is caused by the
simultaneous presence of two interpersonal constructs—thwarted belongingness and
perceived burdensomeness—and further, that the capability to engage in suicidal behaviour is
separate from the desire to engage in suicidal behaviour.
Scope and Limitation
We have conduct a survey in Queen Anne School of Sta. Rosa and the residence of Sta.
Rosa Homes, Mariquita. There are 25 males and 25 females, having a total of 50 respondents
for our research topic.
We have conducted this survey to know the possibilities of these respondent to commit
suicide and what are their knowledge about suicide as well as, its factors.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The aim of the study is to estimate the risk factors for suicide in the case of individuals
died for committing suicide. The study explores the possibilities or factors of a person or
individual to attempt or commit suicide. The researchers stated the possible cause that will
improve their knowledge about understanding suicide.
1. What are the demographic profiles of the respondents in terms of:
1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
2. Factors affecting a person's mind to commit suicide in terms of:
2.1 Personality Factor
2.2 Mental Disorders
2.3 Family Problem
2.4 Social Situation
Definition of Terms
CHAPTER 2
I. Foreign Literatures
Bullying
In a recent article Boy' driven to suicide by bullies, a distraught mother claimed that her
11-year old son was driven to commit suicide by bullies. They stated that the boy, Thomas
Thompson, took an overdose painkiller after other pupils picked on him because he was
clever and well-spoken, she stated. On the day of his death, he had got off the school bus to
escape the bullies. Miss Thompson said she had spoken to Thomas's teachers, but the school
claimed the only reported incident had been at a bus stop and involved children from another
school. Two weeks later, Gemma Dimmick, a 15-year-old at the same school - Hirst High, in
Ashington, Northumberland - also committed suicide. Relatives claimed she too had been
bullied. A shift in public opinion at large can also be discerned; The Times (February
27,1786) initiated a spirited debate on the motion "Is suicide an act of courage?" Three years
later, the same newspaper stated that suicide was “now a general subject of conversation
among all ranks of people”.
Depression
Depression also appears as a factor related to suicide. Early in the 20th century, it was
believed that children and adolescents could not suffer from depression. Later in the century,
psychologists changed their minds and accepted that children can get depressed; however,
many agreed childhood depression is different from adult depression (Clarizio, 1989). Some
typical symptoms of depression in adolescents are melancholy, suicidal ideation, aggressive
behavior, sleep disturbances, changes in school performance, diminished socialization, and
changes in appetite (Clarizio). A major cause or trigger of depression in adolescents is
thought to be stress. A predisposition to depression may also play a role; nonetheless, the
additive stresses of everyday adolescent life often appear to trigger depression (Clarizio).
“There is a complex relationship between depression and suicide. Many depressed patients
are suicidal, and, conversely, most but not all suicidal individuals manifest depressive mood
and symptoms if not depressive illness” (Pfeffer, 1989, p. 63). In a study of 254 adolescent
psychiatric inpatients and 288 high school students, Overholser (1995) examined the relation
between self-esteem deficits and suicidal ideation. These researchers found that low self-
esteem was related to feelings of depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. An
important note from this study was that high school students with high self-esteem had low
levels of depression and were Suicidal Ideation 13 less likely to report feelings of suicidal
ideation. This study demonstrates that selfesteem can play an important role in depression
and suicidal ideation among adolescents.
Self-Esteem
Research reveals that a common variable and related personality factor linked to suicide is
self-esteem (Overholser, Adams, Lehnert, & Brinkman, 1995). Self-esteem refers to the
appraisal a person makes of their value as a worthwhile individual. According to Overholser
et al., people who have high self-esteem tend to be positive in their attitudes about themselves
and are thought to be satisfied with their lives. Individuals with low self-esteem, on the other
hand, tend to have a negative view of themselves and feel they are incompetent and
unworthy. When a person has a negative view of himself or herself, suicidal tendencies
generally increase (Overholser, Adams, Lehnert, & Brinkman).
Dori and Overholser (1999) also found that low self-esteem is a good indicator of suicidal
ideation. Dori and Overholser did a study to determine whether the levels of hopelessness,
self-esteem, and depression were different among the inpatients who committed suicide prior
to being admitted versus those patients who had not committed suicide. They recruited 90
adolescents diagnosed with depression. These adolescents ranged from 13 to 18 years old,
and they were in the middle socioeconomic category. Those who attempted suicide had
significantly lower self-esteem as well as higher levels of depression and hopelessness than
their non-suicidal counterparts, as assessed by Dori and Overholser. Self-esteem also was
found to be a better indicator of suicide than a person’s level of suicidal ideation in this study.
Depressed and hopeless adolescents who were assessed as having adequate levels of self-
esteem were less likely to demonstrate suicidal behaviours than those with low self-esteem
(Dori & Overholser).
This literature review was done to identify indicators related to suicidal ideation and
suicide among adolescents. Self-esteem, stress and depression personality trait were
discussed as factors related to suicide. Based on the incidence rates, it is obvious that suicide
is a problem in high schools. Slowing the suicide rates is very important to high school
counsellors, but it is difficult to determine which students are most at risk for suicide. This
literature review has shown that stress has been found to be positively correlated with suicidal
ideation and negatively correlated with self-esteem. The personality trait of high self-
monitoring appears to be positively correlated to self-esteem. Also, there is evidence that
self-esteem is negatively correlated with both depression and suicidal ideation.
Jean Goulbourn, president of the mental health advocacy group Natasha Goulbourn
Foundation, explained that many Filipinos do not understand depression."Ang akala nila
baliw ang depression. Ang unang-unang kailangan nilang malaman ay... ang depression ay
hindi baliw," she said in a previous interview. “In the Philippines, many people still think that
depression is not an illness, but something that one eventually snaps out of, and that’s the
reason why so many people who are suffering from depression feel embarrassed to seek
help,” said Senator Grace Poe, who filed a resolution on the increasing incidence of suicide
and depression in the country.
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter gives an outline of research methods that were followed in the study. It
provides information on the participants, that is , the criteria for inclusion in the study, who
the participants were and how they were sampled. The instruments that was used for data
collection is also described and the procedures that were followed to carry on this study are
included. The researcher also discusses the methods used to analyze the data. Lastly, the
ethical issues that were followed in the process are also discussed.
The researchers conduct a survey in the Queen Anne School of Sta. Rosa Laguna. We
have constructed and validate the survey questionnaires to be distributed to the respondents
of our research topic. We have asked different students and people that may be related to our
topic. We have distributed the survey questionnaires to the respondents. We've retrieved the
survey questionnaires from the respondents for the tabulation and interpretation of the
responds of the respondents. We are acquiring the risk factors for suicide in the case of an
individual to commit suicide for our research topic.
Participants
The participants are the teenagers in Sta. Rosa, Laguna - ages from 13 to 18 years old.
Why? because we know that adolescents is the stage where different problems occur. Based
on our study, we've concluded that having depression or other psychiatric disorder is very
hard for the person.
Population
We asked permission to all of our respondents if they can answer truthfully the survey
questionnaires. We've asked 25 students from Queen Anne School of Sta. Rosa and 25
teenagers from the residence of Mariquita Pueblo of Sta. Rosa , having a total of 50
respondents for our research paper.
Research Instrument
Adams, D. M., & Lehnert, K. L. (1997). Prolonged trauma and subsequent suicidal
behavior: Child abuse and combat trauma reviewed. Journal of Traumatic Stress,
10(4), 619-634.
De Man, A. F. & Leduc, C. P. (1993). Correlates of suicidal ideation in French-
Canadian adolescents: Personal variables, stress, and social support. Adolescence,
28(112), 820-831.
Beers, M. J., Lassiter, G. D., & Flannery, B. C. (1997). Individual differences in
person memory: Self-monitoring and the recall of consistent and inconsistent
behavior. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 12(3), 811-820.
Bermans, A. L., & Jobes, D. A. (1991). Adolescent suicide assessments intervention.
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Clarizio, H. F. (1989). Assessment and treatment of depression in children and
adolescents. Brandon, VT: Clinical Psychology Publishing Co. Inc.
Davis, P. (1983). Suicidal adolescents. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Dori, G. A., & Overholser, J. C. (1999). Depression, hopelessness, and self-esteem:
Accounting for suicidality in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Suicide and Life
Threatening Behavior, 29(4), 309-318.
Dukes R. L., & Lorch B. (1989). The effect of school, family, self-concept, and
deviant behavior on adolescent suicide ideation. Journal of Adolescence, 12, 239-251.