Environmental and personality similarities in case histories of suicide and self-poisoning by children under ten

Abstract

Research on suicide in latency age children is reviewed and case histories of two 9-year-old children who suicided by shooting themselves and one 7-year-old who died by self-poisoning are presented. Similarities in environmental and family histories, and in personality variables among these three cases have suggested underlying mechanisms in development and maintenance of symbiotically shared self-concept between parent and child which may be useful in helping to identify similar cases and in assessing potential for suicidal and self-destructive behavior in latency age children.