Session: Understanding Behavioral Factors Related to Suicide Among U.S. Adolescents: Insights from the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Proposed are three interrelated studies that explore behavioral factors related to suicidality among United States (U.S.) adolescents age 15-19. We present data from the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The findings are of great public health importance given the growing incidence of suicide and suicidal behaviors (thoughts, plans, and attempts) among all youth. Indeed, suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents age 15-19. The serious consequences that suicidal behaviors pose to overall health and wellbeing warrant further examination regarding the factors related to adolescent suicide. Prior research has reported on general suicide risk factors for adolescents, but has yet to look in-depth at behaviors specific to substance use, sexual identity-behavior discordance, and lifestyle patterns.

The YRBS has collected data from more than 3.8 million adolescents in high school. The YRBS data set provides a large, nationally representative sample, which aids in presenting a more accurate picture of the state of youth suicide and associated behaviors. All studies in this organized symposium utilize the most recent data available (2015).

The first paper in this symposium explores the relationship between substance use and suicidal behaviors among youth. The YRBS examine substance use along the spectrum of lifetime occurrence, current use, and frequency. This paper examines the profile of adolescents who abuse substances and also engage in suicidal behaviors.

The second paper examines the association between sexual identity, sexual behavior and suicide indicators among sexually active adolescents. Specifically, it considers whether discordance between reported sexual identity and sexual behaviors relate to the odds of suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts.

The third paper identifies risky lifestyle patterns among a wide range of lifestyle behaviors (i.e. diet, physical activity, sleep, media use, weight) and investigates the associations between class memberships and suicidal behaviors among youth.

The identification of adolescents most at risk for suicide is a crucial component of suicide prevention. As such, each paper examines distinct risk factors for suicidal behaviors and contributes to the understanding of suicide risk profiles among adolescents. Importantly, the symposium will offer implications for social work research and practice with adolescents who engage in suicidal behaviors.