One of the most significant findings was that suicidal children perceive their family environment as more stressful and less supportive than those children who were not suicidal. Coupled with this is the finding that children with suicidal ideation and children with suicide attempts reported more depressive symptoms than non-suicidal children. (Asarnow, 1992, p. 39) Asarnow found that there was a clear link between family situation and environment and thoughts and action related to suicide. "... children who attempted or thought of suicide"... described their families as less cohesive, less expressive, and higher in conflict than did nonsuicidal children" (Asarnow, 1992, p. 39).These children were also found to have higher levels of depression than others in the group with more supportive family structures. The article adds another layer of empirical evidence to the view that family environment and lack of support as well as increased stress are causative factors in child...
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