Activity Involvement Among Suicidal and Nonsuicidal High-Risk and Typical Adolescents

This study compared weekly activities among 4 groups of randomly selected high-risk & typical high school students: potential dropouts at suicide risk; typical youth at suicide risk; potential dropouts not at suicide risk; & typical youth not at suicide risk. Of the 1286 participants, 39.4% of the high-risk & 30.1% of typical students screened in at suicide risk. Weekly activity comparisons showed that suicide-risk adolescents, regardless of potential dropout status, engaged in more solitary activities than did their nonsuicide risk peers. High-risk potential dropout youth engaged in less homework & more social activities than did the typical high school students. Results provide important insight into the weekly activity involvement of at-risk youth while helping to gain a better understanding of suicide-risk adolescents. (50 refs.)