Kirpichenko A.A.*, Baryshev A.N.**
Suicide risk among the adolescent population of Vitebsk
*Education establishment "Vitebsk State Order of Peoples’ Friendship Medical University", Belarus
**Health Service Establishment «Vitebsk Regional Psycho Neurological Centre», Belarus
Abstract.
The suicide rate among the adolescent population is an unstable indicator and has significant variations depending on the region, economic situation, demographic and other factors. For the organization of suicidal behaviour prevention in a specific region it is very important to use the data obtained as a result of the study of the population in the same region. Therefore, the following purpose of the research has been chosen: to assess the level of suicide risk and to study the prevalence of major psychological risk factors of suicidal behaviour, such as hopelessness and anxiety among the teen-age population of Vitebsk. Psychological sampling of 282 adolescents aged from 15 to 18 residing in Vitebsk was conducted. The study included 119 boys and 163 girls. The following psychodiagnostic methods were used: suicide risk questionnaire (Kucher A.A., Kostyukevich V.P., 2001); the study of psychoemotional state: «Hopelessness Scale» (Beck et al., 1974), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Spielberger С.D., Khanin Y.L.). The survey was carried out anonymously. Class managers, psychologists, social pedagogues of Vitebsk educational institutions (school №2, school №14, school №25, school №40, gymnasium №1, gymnasium №3) took part in the study. All teen-agers of the specified above educational establishments, who gave their voluntary and informed consent to participate in an anonymous psychological research were tested.
The results of the present study enabled us to determine the level of suicide risk among the adolescent population of Vitebsk. The obtained information can be used as a guide for designing and implementing programs of the suicidal behaviour prevention both among patients of psychiatric and substance abuse services and among the adolescent population as a whole.
Key words: parasuicide, suicide, risk of suicide, adolescents.
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