What protects young people from suicidality?

January 20, 2025

A study that followed a representative sample of almost 5,000 American youth aged 12 to 21 over a one-year period provides information on the role of social connectedness in preventing suicide attempts and ideation. The study authors assessed three types of connection: school relationships, including feeling close to others in this setting; social integration, including feeling accepted, loved and wanted; and connections with parents. All three forms of connection were found to protect young people. Specifically, feeling connected at school was protective against making a suicide attempt, and social integration was protective against suicidal ideation, as was feeling connected to one’s parents. For more information, see Vol. 17, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.