Self-Esteem, Family Relations and Suicide among College Students

Self-Esteem, Family Relations and Suicide among College Students

Alvin Sherman Library 4009

Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in the U.S. claiming 29,350 lives per year. Suicide rates among youth (ages 15-24) have increased more than 200% in the last fifty years. However, it is higher for the elderly (ages 85+) than for any other age group. Suicide can be prevented, but many people are just unable to see any other alternatives to their problems. It is noted that suicidal people often give various warning, but others are often unaware of the significance of these warnings or unsure of what to do about them. It was once thought that just talking about suicide might cause someone to become suicidal but this has not been found to be the case. Overall, four times more men than woman kill themselves, but three times more woman than men attempt suicide. Firearms are the most common method of suicide among all groups and it cuts across ethnic, economic, social and age boundaries. The greatest impact is on the surviving family members who not only suffer the loss of the loved one to suicide, but are also themselves at higher risk of suicide and emotional problems. In a survey given to college students regarding thoughts of suicide, relationships between low self-esteem and conflicted family relations during childhood were assessed. This investigation addressed some of the numerous reasons that would cause someone to attempt or commit suicide.