[Family structure, parent-child relationships and suicidal behavior in high-school]

Abstract

A study made on a sample of 2,327 Montréal area students of third, fourth and fifth year of High School shows that suicidal behaviors ("les suicidaires") account for 13.2 % of youth interrogated, and that 6.7 % admit to having attempted suicide. The suicidal behavior rate is higher among girls than boys and it is lower in schools where the proportion of allophones is over 50 %. The separation of parents and the father's negligence are factors that contribute to raising the rate of suicidal behavior. However, a deceased father or mother has no effect on the rate. The rate of suicidal behavior is at its highest when there is a substitute parent. A relation exists, however, between a father's level of scolarity and the family structure. When students come from an unbroken home, there are fewer suicidal subjects when the father has a high rather than a low level of scolarity ; this difference disappears when the family is separated. However, the authors have noticed a greater rate of separation among parents with a higher level of scolarity. As for the higher rate of suicidal behaviors among girls, it is not entirely connected to poor parent-child relations. The data suggest to the authors that parent conflicts could possibly perturb girls more than boys. And finally, although serious health problems are associated to a higher rate of suicidal behavior, this link is relatively indépendant of the quality of parent-child relations.