The Effects of Parent-Adolescent Communication and Depression on Suicide Ideation

Oh, Hyun A; Park, Young Rye; Choi, Mi Hye

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of parent-adolescent communication and depression on suicide ideation in the adolescent population. METHOD: The participants for this study were 391 students from two middle schools, one located in Seoul and one in Kyung-gi do Province. A self-report survey was used for data collection, which was carried out from February 8 to 14, 2006. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 11.0 Program.
RESULTS
The average score for father-adolescent communication was 61.70, and for mother-adolescent communication, 64.04. The average score for depression was 16.01, and for suicide ideation, 8.69. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between suicide ideation and depression. There was a statistically significant reverse correlation between suicide ideation and mother-adolescent communication, and between suicide ideation and father-adolescent communication. Mother-adolescent communication and depression account for 46.4% of variance in suicide ideation of adolescents.
CONCLUSION
According to the results, programs designed to improve parent-adolescent communication and decrease depression should be developed and put into practice to decrease the rate of suicide ideation in adolescents in Korea.