Vulnerability to Suicide Ideation: Comparative Study between Adolescents with and without Psychosocial Risk.

Adolescents are characterized as a risk group for suicide, being the fourth leading cause of death in young people. The main aim was to compare vulnerability to suicidal ideation in a sample of young people with and without psychosocial risk. The total sample consisted of 137 adolescents, aged between 10 and 19 years (M = 14.76; SD = 1.40), and it was composed of two groups-the psychosocial risk group (n = 60) and general population group (n = 77). In both groups, suicidal ideation correlated positively with negative events and negatively with self-esteem and social support satisfaction. When comparing the two groups, the psychosocial risk group presented significantly higher mean values of negative life events (mainly separations/losses and physical and sexual abuse) and significantly lower mean values of satisfaction with social support (particularly with family and social activities). It was also found that, in the psychosocial risk group, negative life events were the only significant predictors of suicidal ideation. This study allowed identifying the role of risk and protective factors in suicidal ideation, according to the psychosocial risk of adolescents. The practical implications of the findings on adolescents' mental health and the promotion of their well-being are discussed.

The Volunteer Satisfaction Survey (VSS): Adaptation and Psychometric Properties among Portuguese Volunteers.

(1) Background: Volunteering satisfaction is one significant construct that nourishes the sustaining of volunteer work, and it is present in reference models such as the three-stage volunteer process model (VPM). The volunteer satisfaction survey (VSS), created by Vecina, Chacón and Sueiro, evaluates three different domains of volunteer satisfaction: specific motivations, organization management and volunteering tasks. The aim of this study was to adapt the instrument and explore the psychometric properties of the 17 items of the VSS in a sample of Portuguese volunteers. (2) Methods: The sample was composed of 335 Portuguese volunteers (aged between 14 and 81 years), mainly women (76.4%). Measures included volunteer satisfaction, work engagement and organizational commitment. (3) Results: The original three-factor model was tested with a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the model fitted the data. Satisfactory levels of internal consistency, discriminant and convergent validity were found. (4) Conclusions: The VSS reveals good psychometric properties and can be considered a useful tool for professionals and future research for volunteers' satisfaction assessment.