A THEORETICAL-MODEL OF ADOLESCENT SUICIDE RISK

A theoretical model of adolescent suicidal behavior was examined separ ately for 192 male and 329 female (N = 521) students of a suburban jun ior high school in the southwest. The model consisted of five construc ts: the predictor variables of depression, hopelessness, self-esteem, and substance use and the criterion variable, suicide risk. A theoreti cal model consisting of five research hypotheses was proposed based on the suicide literature and was examined by path analysis using a stru ctural equations statistical package, SAS PROC CALIS (Version 6.10). R esults revealed that all relationships were in the predicted direction . The final model reasonably accounted for the data in spite of some g ender differences. Males progressed from depression to substance use a nd then to suicide risk, while females progressed directly from depres sion to suicide risk. Depression was a stronger predictor of low self- esteem for females than for males. While hopelessness was a viable pre dictor of substance use for both males and females, it was not a viabl e predictor of suicide risk.