ADOLESCENTS ATTITUDES TOWARD SUICIDE, AND A SUICIDAL PEER - A COMPARISON BETWEEN SWEDISH AND TURKISH HIGH-SCHOOL-STUDENTS

The present paper first presents the attitudes toward suicide and a su icidal classmate among 98 female and 69 male (N = 167) Swedish high sc hool students. Secondly, the Swedish sample was compared with 167 (89 female and 78 male) Turkish high school students from a previous study . Among Swedish students, more males than females said that people hav e the right to commit suicide and suicide can be a solution to some pr oblems. More females than males expressed a belief in life after death . Swedish adolescents were found to be holding more liberal attitudes toward suicide than Turkish adolescents. However, Turkish adolescents showed greater acceptance for a suicidal peer than Swedish adolescents . The results are discussed in terms of socio-cultural factors and rel ated literature. The need for educational programs to provide basic kn owledge about suicide and, effective ways of dealing with and helping suicidal peers is implicated.