Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107611

Yi-Chen Chiang, MPH and Lee-Lan Yen, ScD. Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Room 1522 No 1 Sec 1 Jen-Ai Road, Taipei, Taiwan, 886-2-23123456ext8361, d92845003@ntu.edu.tw

The purposes of this study were to realize the trajectories of suicide ideation in children and to investigate the influence of parent support, parent punishment, and family interaction on suicide ideation. A longitudinal study, Child and Adolescent Behaviors in Long-term Evolution (CABLE) was conducted in 2001 to 2003. Data were obtained from two cohorts of 1,945 students was followed from the 1st through the 3rd grades and 1,812 students was followed from the 4th through the 6th grades in northern Taiwan. Latent growth curve modeling was used to construct a predictive model. It was found that prevalence of having suicide ideation among children increased over the course of elementary school. The rates of ever having suicide ideation among the first cohort during 2001 to 2003 were 11.39%, 15.06%, and 21.46% while the rates of ever having suicide ideation among the second cohort were 19.44%, 19.99%, and 24.23%. We further found that changes in parent support, parent punishment, and family interaction predicted changes in suicide ideation. In particular, those students perceiving decreasing parent support and family interaction and increasing parent punishment showed corresponding increases in suicide ideation. In order to prevent the increases in suicide ideation among children, parents should pay more attention to children's emotion status and suicide ideation. Children need sustained and higher parent support and family interaction and appropriate punishment. Furthermore, those who have suicide ideation should be screened as early as possible. Life education and family function should be emphasized especially in children.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Discuss the trajectories of suicide ideation in children and the influence of parent support, parent punishment, and family interaction on suicide ideation.

Keywords: Children, Suicide

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation