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Using Path Analysis to Examine Adolescent Suicide Attempts, Life Satisfaction, and Health Risk Behavior
Author(s) -
Thatcher W. Gregory,
Reininger Belinda M.,
Drane J. Wanzer
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2002.tb06518.x
Subject(s) - intimidation , psychology , path analysis (statistics) , dieting , youth risk behavior survey , population , life satisfaction , poison control , mental health , suicide prevention , clinical psychology , demography , medicine , social psychology , psychiatry , obesity , environmental health , weight loss , sociology , statistics , mathematics
This study determined if differences existed between four race/gender groups in regard to attempted suicide among a randomly selected, cross‐sectional population of 4,565 public high school students in South Carolina. A modified Youth Risk Behavior Survey was designed to gather information on quality of life, life satisfaction, and six risk‐behavior categories. Data first were analyzed using logistic regression analysis and subsequently analyzed using path analysis. Results suggest several independent variables (feelings of intimidation, alcohol and cocaine use, self‐perceptions of mental health, self‐perceptions of body weight, dieting practices, bulimic episodes, and physical and sexual abuse) were associated significantly (p < .01) with adolescent attempted suicide either directly or indirectly through mediating variables. Significant associations among risk behaviors, mediating variables, and self‐reported attempted suicide varied across the four race/gender groups, indicating a need to further study differences noticed in each race/gender scheme. (J Sch Health. 2002;72(2):71–77)