THE SOCIAL ROOTS OF SUICIDE AMONG ADOLESCENTS

AND THE SUICIDE PREVENTION IMPLICATIONS

IN THE MIDDLE OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

A Concept Paper Presented to the Faculty of Senior High School

Lagro High School ( 2021 )

Leader: Vasquez Adrian M.

Members: Ruedas, Miguel T. Salmorin, Irish Dannelle
Pacupac, Ble Docor Duritan, Khalifa
Bactol, Andrei Kitamura, Natsumi
Faith, Annalyn Kalaw, Samantha Agusto
Permejo, Edieson Yasmine Andrea
Background of the Study

Suicide, according to the American Psychological Association (2021), is defined as the act of killing
oneself. Suicide is most commonly committed during a major depressive episode, but it can also
occur as a result of substance abuse or another disorder. According to some research, suicidal
thoughts and behaviors are the most powerful predictors of suicide. Passive thoughts of wanting to
die, recurring thoughts of ending one's life, plans and behaviors that "rehearse" killing oneself, and
suicide attempts are examples of these. However, there are numerous factors that contribute to a
person's decision to commit suicide. These factors can be both internal and external, and some can
also be social. As a pandemic strikes our country, quarantine is being imposed on all homes in the
Philippines, and the abrupt shift from traditional to online classes has had a significant impact on
everyone's health, particularly the mental health of young adults and adolescents. In the Philippines,
there are only a few studies aimed at determining the causes of adolescent suicide, and the majority
of these are being conducted while the pandemic has not yet occurred. This paper aims to
investigate the social factors in relation to suicide among the adolescents and the suicide prevention
implications in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic.
Statement of the Objectives

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the social factors in relation to

suicide among the adolescents and the suicide prevention implications in the
middle of COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically it sought answers to the following
objectives:

1. To identify the social factors in relation to suicide

among the adolescents in the middle of pandemic.

2. To highlight the suicide prevention measures

implemented in the social suicide factors among
adolescents in the middle of pandemic.
Theoretical Framework

Suicide ideation and psychological risk factors have complex relationships, with some factors causing
direct risk and others causing indirect risk. In the study that De Beurs et. al., (2019) conducted the
interpersonal psychological theory of suicidal behavior (IPT) and the integrated motivational-volitional
(IMV) model are two leading theories in the field of suicide prevention. Suicidal thoughts, according to
the IPT, emerge from high levels of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. The
IMV model is a multivariate framework that views defeat and entrapment as major motivators of
suicidal ideation. According to a network analysis of the core components of the two models,
perceived burdensomeness and internal entrapment are both important factors that are directly
related to suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was less strongly related to thwarted belonginess and
defeat, and more strongly related to perceived burdensomness and internal entrapment. The social
roots of suicide among adolescents in the middle of pandemic shows that it comes with factors
causing direct and indirect risk to the adolescents suicide ideation such as the mental wellbeing,
interpersonal needs, personality, and suicide-related factors.
Preliminary Literature Review

Whether it's missing friends or more serious stressors like a parent losing a job,
someone getting sick, or an unstable home life, most teenagers have experienced
some level of stress during this pandemic. Such stressors can increase adolescent
susceptibility to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Suicide was
already the leading cause of death among teenagers in the world prior to COVID-19.
Suicide rates are expected to rise during the pandemic, according to mental health
experts. This section contains some of the related literature that the researchers
gathered in regards to the social roots of suicide among adolescents.
Abridged Methodology

The study intends to use qualitative design in investigating the social factors in relation to suicide
among the adolescents and the suicide prevention implications in the middle of COVID-19
pandemic. The researchers will build a researcher-made-questionnaire. The research will be
carried out via video conferencing platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom. Only selected
participants from Metro Manila will take part in the study with the use of purposive sampling
technique.
Timeline

The project is expected to be completed in __ weeks, with the

following activity durations indicated for each section of the research
project:

Research Section Duration

1. Title
2. Background of the study
3. Statement of the problem
4. Preliminary Literature Review
5. Abridged Methodology
References

American Psychological Association. (2021). Suicide definition. Apa.org.

https://www.apa.org/topics/suicide#:~:text=It%20is%20defined%20as%20the
De Beurs, D., Fried, E. I., Wetherall, K., Cleare, S., O’ Connor, D. B., Ferguson, E.,
O’Carroll, R. E., & O’ Connor, R. C. (2019). Exploring the psychology of suicidal
ideation: A theory driven network analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 120,
103419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.103419