Suicidal thought in the adolescent: exploring the relationship between known risk factors and the presence of suicidal thought.

PROBLEM: The purpose of this retrospective study was to explore the relationship between recognized risk factors for suicidal thought and the presence or absence of self-reported suicidal thought. METHODS: This study was conducted through the secondary analysis of data obtained from a larger, prospective, cluster-randomized intervention study. A subset of 817 recruits between the ages of 17 and 19 was included in this study. FINDINGS: A personal history of mental health/emotional problems and a decreased sense of belonging made unique contributions to predicting the presence of suicidal thought. CONCLUSIONS: The development of interventions to increase sense of belonging may be a key to reducing suicidal thought during stressful events.