Clueless Parents, Troubled Teens: Discrepancies in Awareness of Teens’ Suicidality

This study analyzed the prevalence of adolescents’ suicidal thoughts, attempts, experiences of loss, knowledge of others who had attempted or completed suicide, & the extent of parental awareness of these feelings & experiences. This study also assessed the concordance between adolescents’ self-reports & parental perceptions of teens’ sharing of suicidal thoughts with others. 385 adolescents, age 11-18, & 283 parents in the Los Angeles area were studied. Results indicated that adolescents have a higher rate of suicidal ideation & attempts than parents recognize. Moreover, parents tended to think their teens had shared their suicidal thoughts with others far more often than was actually the case. Limitations of the study are discussed. Additional research is called for. (18 refs.)