Understanding the Impulse: An Exploratory Study of Impulsivity in Teenagers who Died by Suicide.

Fatal suicide attempts among teenagers are increasing and therefore a deepening understanding of this target group and their risk for suicide is required. While previous literature highlights the complexity of teenage suicide risk factors, the specific contribution of one risk factor, namely impulsivity, remains unclear. This thesis investigated the role of impulsivity in teenage suicide and explored the characteristics of teenagers with a fatal suicide attempt. Impulsivity, or a tendency to act rashly without thinking, consists of two facets: state and trait impulsivity. Both forms refer to different impulsivity related constructs, ranging from situation related impulsiveness to personality impulsivity related characteristics. The current study, a nested mixed-methods design, collected data through the Psychosocial Autopsy (PSA). Furthermore, the study combined qualitative data from 17 in-depth semi-structured interviews with 17 quantitative questionnaire results regarding deceased...Show moreFatal suicide attempts among teenagers are increasing and therefore a deepening understanding of this target group and their risk for suicide is required. While previous literature highlights the complexity of teenage suicide risk factors, the specific contribution of one risk factor, namely impulsivity, remains unclear. This thesis investigated the role of impulsivity in teenage suicide and explored the characteristics of teenagers with a fatal suicide attempt. Impulsivity, or a tendency to act rashly without thinking, consists of two facets: state and trait impulsivity. Both forms refer to different impulsivity related constructs, ranging from situation related impulsiveness to personality impulsivity related characteristics. The current study, a nested mixed-methods design, collected data through the Psychosocial Autopsy (PSA). Furthermore, the study combined qualitative data from 17 in-depth semi-structured interviews with 17 quantitative questionnaire results regarding deceased teenagers. Questionnaire data from 149 participants was analysed to explore the characteristics of deceased teenagers. Qualitative findings revealed that state and trait impulsivity appeared in fatal teenage suicide attempts. In particular trait impulsivity construct ‘Negative urgency’, a tendency to act rashly under emotional distress. Quantitative findings indicated psychiatric problems, suicidal communication and substance abuse to be common among the teenage suicides. This study contributes to more understanding of impulsivity in teenage suicidality and therefore contributes to more targeted future research suggestions. However, the results should be considered as exploratory and therefore interpreted with caution.Show less

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Understanding the Impulse: An Exploratory Study of Impulsivity in Teenagers who Died by Suicide.