A Study of Suicide-Related Behaviors Among Colombian Youth: Reflections on Prevention and Implications for Health Education

This study examined risk behaviors related to depression & suicide among adolescent students enrolled in public schools in Bogota, Colombia. Data were collected from 1692 respondents who completed a modified version of the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Measures of central tendency, chi-square, & analysis of variance tests were used to analyze the data. Findings from this study revealed that 21% of the participants expressed suicidal ideation; fantisizing about suicide transcended to an actual plan in 19% of the cases; & 16% reported at least 1 attempt in the 30 days preceding the study. Implications for prevention are discussed. (18 refs)