Risk Determinants of Suicide Attempts Among Adolescents

A bstract . In this article we present evidence about the factors that determine four gradual decisions on the part of adolescents to attempt suicide. To that end, we estimate a series of binary choice models by using data drawn from the U.S. National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys corresponding to 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997. Our results show that the decisions to attempt suicide are motivated by both demographic and psychosocial variables, such as gender, age, ethnicity, education failure, possession of a gun, habitual participation in sporting activities, individual weight perception, and taking pills or provoking vomiting to lose weight. Moreover, we also find that a significant degree of influence is exerted by another group of factors, such as the consumption of drugs, sexual relationships, and, finally, pregnancy.