Adolescent suicide in the federated states of Micronesia: A literature review

For nearly fifty years, Francis X. Hezel and Donald H. Rubinstein have been publishing essays on the topic of adolescent suicide in the Federated States of Micronesia, particularly among males in Truk/Chuuk. This paper examines the core body of this literature to chronicle the development of a theory on the topic of Micronesian adolescent suicide through its history of publication, responses, and criticisms of the theory. This essay examines the researchers’ efforts to discover potential mitigating factors while also examining some of the consequences of this work, such as the worldwide collection of suicide data and the development and use of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Suggestions of other perspectives on culture change and suicide are offered.