The Diathesis-Stress Model Of Suicide

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Suicide is the act of taking one’s own life intentionally and voluntarily. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2013), suicide attempt or thought of suicide is a symptom of depression. There is no exact cause of suicide (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention [AFSP], 2017). However, mental disorders, stress, and family history of suicide are some risk factors for suicide (AFSP, 2017). In Singapore, the teenage suicide rate is on the rise (Samaritans of Singapore, 2016). Stress has been quoted as the reason for suicide in Singapore teenagers (Wang, 2016). Stress is the feeling of strain when one encountered a situation where the demands exceed the coping resources (Lazarus, 1966). Some sources of stress in Singapore teenagers …show more content…

The model explained that every individual has a pre-dispositional vulnerability (diathesis). Under stress, negative diathesis can make an individual vulnerable to a negative outcome. Lazarus (1993) suggested that if the combination of stress and diathesis exceeds the threshold, the person will develop a negative behaviour or a disorder. Ingram and Luxton (2005) further explained that the diathesis can be genetic, biological, environmental, or cognitive. Past research (such as Hewitt, Caelian, Chen, & Flett, 2014; Rew, Thomas, Horner, Resnick, & Beuhring, 2001; Wilburn, & Smith, 2005) has found a relationship between suicide and stress. A meta-analysis by Brent (1995) discovered that adolescents suicide victims and attempters have generally encountered a higher number of stressful events than those who did not attempt …show more content…

Adolescent Cognitive Style Questionnaire was used to assess the adolescents’ attributional style. Adolescent Life Events Questionnaire was used to assess the stress in the adolescents. Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to assess the depressive symptoms. Adolescents with a negative attributional style were found to be more at risk of depression, after experiencing stressful life events. This study also found that the adolescents at risk of depression are more likely to report stressful life events that are partially dependent on their behaviour. This finding suggested that negative attributional style can worsen the stress in adolescents, which supported the hopelessness