Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jun;93(6):494-499.
doi: 10.1111/josh.13278. Epub 2022 Dec 5.

Hope As a Buffer to Suicide Attempts Among Adolescents with Depression

Angela B Pharris  1 , Ricky T Munoz  2 , Jon Kratz  2 , Chan M Hellman  2
Affiliations

Hope As a Buffer to Suicide Attempts Among Adolescents with Depression

Angela B Pharris et al. J Sch Health. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Suicide among adolescents has long been linked to symptoms of depression. However, limited research has examined the potential buffering effect of hope on the relationship between depression and suicide attempts.

Methods: To test the effect of hope on the positive relationship between depression and suicide attempts, we used data (N = 502 adolescents) from youth ages 12-18 collected as part of the 2018 Healthy Youth Survey in the State of Washington. Based on hope theory, we hypothesized a "buffering" form of moderation, with the presence of greater hope weakening the positive relationship between depression and suicide attempts. In other words, with higher hope, adolescents reporting depressive symptoms are less inclined to attempt suicide.

Results: Testing the moderating effect of hope via bootstrap resampling (N = 5000), the results indicated adolescents' hope levels indeed buffered the relationship between depressive symptoms and self-reported suicide attempts. To wit, when adolescents' hope was low, there was a significant, robust, and positive relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide attempts (b = 0.2644, 95% CI [0.1604, 0.3683], t = 5.0, p < .001). However, when adolescents' hope was high, there was no longer a significant relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide attempts (b = 0.0304, 95% CI [-0.997, 0.1605], t = 0.4590, p = .65).

Conclusion: The buffering effect of hope was validated in a second, larger sample (n = 9308) of adolescents. This result suggests the potential utility of hope theory-based interventions to assist depressed adolescents reduce their likelihood of suicide.

Keywords: adolescents; depression; hope; protective factors; suicide.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Abraham ZK, Sher L. Adolescent suicide as a global public health issue. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2017;31(4). https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2017-0036.
    1. Curtin, S.C. & Heron, M. (2019). Death rates due to suicide and homicide among persons aged 10-24: United States, 2000-2017. NCHS Data Brief, 352. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db352-h.pdf
    1. Office of the Surgeon General (US) & National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. 2012 National strategy for suicide prevention: Goals and objectives for action: A report of the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2012. Available at. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23136686.
    1. Centers for Disease Control. Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Data Summary and Trends Report. Atlanta, GA: National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health. Available at; 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/trendsreport.pdf.
    1. Cohen, S. Suicide rate highest among teens and young adults. UCLA Health; 2022. Available at: https://connect.uclahealth.org/2022/03/15/suicide-rate-highest-among-tee...

LinkOut - more resources