Conference Agenda

Introduction

Suicidal behaviors in adolescence are a major public health concern. Beyond risk factors, identifying protective mechanisms is essential for prevention and early intervention. Protective constructs such as life satisfaction, reasons for living, and psychosocial resources may operate differently across sex groups.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with Spanish adolescents (N = 1,061; 12–21 years; M = 15.78), categorized into girls (n = 502), boys (n = 406), and non-binary/other (n = 7). Multiple regressions were performed separately by group with suicidal behaviors as the dependent variable, assessed with the Adolescent Suicidal Behavior Assessment Scale (SENTIA). Age was entered in Step 1. Step 2 included protective predictors measured with the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), the Reasons for Living Inventory–Adolescent version (RFL), and selected scales from the Sistema de Evaluación de Niños y Adolescentes (SENA) assessing social resources and perceived family, school, and community context.

Results

Age did not predict suicidal behaviors in any group. In girls, the protective model was significant (F(8,491) = 24.11, p < .001): suicidal behaviors were mainly explained by reasons for living and life satisfaction, with an additional contribution from social resources. In boys, the model was also significant (F(8,396) = 15.69, p < .001), but a different pattern emerged: school context showed a distinct contribution, whereas global wellbeing indicators (SWLS/RFL) were less salient once psychosocial variables were included. In the non-binary/other group, the full model could not be reliably estimated due to the very small sample size and limited statistical power.

Conclusions

Protective pathways differed across sex groups. From a gender-informed perspective, girls may benefit more from meaning- and wellbeing-focused prevention, whereas boys may require stronger school-based and relational protective contexts, given gendered differences in emotional expression and help-seeking. Larger non-binary samples are needed to clarify protective mechanisms and inform inclusive prevention.

Introduction: Adolescent suicidality remains a pressing global concern, ranking high among causes of death for older youth and affecting many through mental disorders like depression and anxiety.

Methods: The study was conducted from October to December 2023 in 12 secondary and 14 high schools across Lithuania. Data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire assessing demographics, suicidal ideation and attempts, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for psycho-emotional functioning. The aim was to estimate the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and attempts among Lithuanian students and their associations with psycho-emotional difficulties.

Results: The study included 4,124 adolescents (51.0% male), with a mean age of 14.48 ± 1.15 years. 16.1% of adolescents had thought about suicide more than once, and 3.9% had attempted suicide more than once. Among boys, 9.2% had thought about suicide more than once, whereas among girls this rate was 22.1% (p < 0.001, φ = 0.245). More than one suicide attempt was reported by 2.2% of boys and 4.8% of girls (p < 0.001, φ = 0.108). Regression analysis indicated that self-harm and internalizing difficulties were the most important factors associated with suicidal ideation in boys (β = 0.457; β = 0.204), while in girls, the most important factors were self-harm and externalizing difficulties (β = 0.485; β = 0.188). Self-harm and internalizing difficulties were also the most important factors associated with suicide attempts in boys (β = 0.493; β = 0.065), whereas in girls, the main factors were self-harm and externalizing difficulties (β = 0.413; β = 0.108).

Conclusions: These findings highlight notable gender differences in suicidal ideation and behavior among adolescents, with girls reporting significantly higher rates than boys. Self-harm emerged as the strongest factor associated with both suicidal thoughts and attempts, alongside internalizing difficulties in boys and externalizing difficulties in girls.

Introduction: Suicidal thoughts and behaviours in young people present a major clinical challenge, and close relationship experiences may play an important role. Mental health staff draw on extensive clinical experience when responding to suicidality and therefore hold valuable insights into how suicidal thoughts and behaviours develop. This qualitative study explored mental health staff’s perceptions of how young people’s close relationship experiences may contribute to suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 mental health professionals with experience supporting young people with suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Beliefs about the self and others developed through close relationship experiences may be associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviours in young people. These beliefs were analysed from participants’ accounts and organised into five themes. Theme 1, belief about being unwanted, reflected feeling undeserving of care or love. Theme 2, sense of being a burden on others, reflected fears of burdening others and beliefs that others would be better off without them. Theme 3, self-blame, was linked to heightened distress when young people struggled emotionally or felt they had fallen short of self-expectations. Theme 4, sensitivity to rejection by others, reflected perceiving rejection and relationship breakdowns as threatening. Theme 5, low expectations of support in close relationships, reflected anticipating limited support during distress.

Conclusions: Findings highlight the clinical relevance of close relationship experiences in understanding suicidality in young people. Interventions may be strengthened by incorporating young people’s close relationships into therapy to address negative beliefs about the self and others. Involving key others may support collaborative problem-solving around relational difficulties, address interactional problems between young people and close others, promote healthier relationship interactions, and help young people develop more positive beliefs about the self and others, helping to prevent future vulnerability to suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

Introduction: In most countries, suicide is one of the leading cause of death among young adults aged up to 29 (WHO, 2021). Much research investigate adolescent suicide risk factors, but the life stage of emerging adulthood is not much analyzed in suicide context. As this developmental stage has its own unique features, this research focuses on investigating interpersonal factors that could be related to suicidal behaviour.

Methods: Data was collected via the online survey. The sample consists of 242 young adults from 18 to 30 years (M = 25.52, SD = 3.44). 69% were women, 76% lived in cities. We used Interpersonal Behavior Questionnaire (Rocchi et al., 2016), which represent different psychological needs that evolve in interpersonal relationships: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Suicidality was estimated with SBQ-R scale (Osman et al., 2001), stress level was estimated with Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983), anxiety and depression symptoms were estimated with Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (Kroenke et al., 2003). The project was funded by the Lithuanian Research Council (LMTLT), grant No P-MIP-24-77.

Results: Moderation analysis indicates that the association between perceived stress and suicidality is weaker if young adults feel that their competence is supported. If they feel that their autonomy is thwarted, the association between perceived stress and suicidality is stronger. The moderating effects were significant only for the association between stress and suicidality, but not for the association with depression and anxiety, which indicates a specific suicide-related factor.

Conclusions: The findings reflect the need for identity formation during the emerging adulthood developmental stage and its connection to suicidality. Practical implications for therapeutic interventions include identifying the need for autonomy and competence, and encouraging its fulfilment. Considering the interpersonal experiences of young adults emphasises the significance of sociocultural and community-related factors in the process of suicide.

Introduction: Suicide is a leading cause of death in young people in many countries, and suicide-related stigma is a key barrier for help-seeking amongst young people, but has been under-studied in adolescents. The objectives of this study were: 1) to validate a measure of public suicide stigma (the Stigma of Suicide Scale – short form [SOSS-SF]) in Australian adolescents, and 2) to determine distinct latent profiles on this scale.

Methods: Students were recruited from 21 Victorian secondary schools to the Multimodal Approach to Preventing Suicide in Schools (MAPSS) study, and completed an online survey during class. Validating the SOSS-SF involved confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlations to explore construct validity, and examining Cronbach’s alpha to assess internal consistency. To examine heterogeneity in stigma profiles, latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted using the three SOSS-SF subscale means: Stigma, Isolation/Depression, and Glorification/Normalisation.

Results: Baseline data were provided by n=1667 adolescents aged 14-18 years. Participants typically disagreed with negative attributions on the Stigma subscale (M=1.6/5, SD=0.8). All SOSS-SF items loaded significantly onto their original factors, known groups validity was supported, and internal consistency was excellent for all subscales. LPA identified a five-profile solution with distinct patterns of endorsement across the subscales. Notably, the ‘Highest stigma’ profile was associated with being male, speaking a language other than English at home, not identifying as LGBTQI, low suicide literacy, and low perceived behavioural control.

Conclusions: The SOSS-SF is a valid, reliable measure of public suicide stigma in Australian adolescents, though scores appear skewed. Results identified heterogeneity of adolescents’ attributions towards people who die by suicide. Future suicide prevention interventions should target demographic profiles associated with high stigma and glorification.