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Parenting / Families

(PS8-B44) Use of Mental Health Services by Caregivers of Teens at High Risk for Suicide

Saturday, November 18, 2023
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PST
Location: Regency Ballroom, Level 7


Background: Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in 10-14 year-olds, and the 3rd leading cause of death in 15-24 year-olds (CDC, 2020). The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among youth have increased from 2009-2019: in 2019, 22% of high school students in the US seriously considered attempting suicide and 10% made an attempt (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2020). Poor family functioning (FF), including high levels of conflict, appears to have a reciprocal relationship with adolescent suicidality (Colmenero-Navarrete et al., 2021; Assari et al., 2021; Knopf, 2020). On the one hand, teen suicidality is associated with parental distress: 61% of parents of teens with suicidal behaviors endorsed poor social support; 86% met criteria for minor psychological distress (Morgan et al., 2013). On the other hand, higher family conflict is associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation and behavior among children and adolescents (Assari et al., 2021; Knopf, 2020). Positive family functioning can play a protectice role; the relationship between emotion dysregulation (ED) and suicide risk was attenuated among youth who reported a trusting relationship with their family (Pisani et al., 2013). The reciprocal relationship between parental wellbeing and adolescent suicidality suggests that exploring parental functioning may be a valuable direction for intervening in teen suicidality. There is a dearth of information about the potential relationship between parental-focused service use, ED, and risk factors for adolescent suicidality. We propose to examine the relationships between parental treatment history, FF, and ED in a population of high risk adolescents and their parents.

Methods: The study sample includes 40 parent-youth dyads, youth ages 13-18. Participants are enrolled in an IOP DBT treatment due to recent suicidality and are participating in an ongoing randomized controlled trial of a DBT-based parenting intervention. Service use was measured using the Child and Adolescent Services Assessment (CASA; Farmer et al., 1994), completed by parents. Family cohesiveness, conflict, and emotion regulation were measured using the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD; Epstein et al., 1983), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004), completed by both youth and parents. Statistical Plan/Results. Baseline data from n=40 parent-child dyads will be included in analyses. The primary analysis will explore the relationship between parental service use (CASA) and family functioning (FAD). Because of the small sample size and difficulty accurately measuring the normality of the distribution in such a small sample, nonparametric tests (Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests and Spearman correlations) will be used. Accordingly, medians and interquartile ranges will be presented as measures of central tendency and variability. All analyses are exploratory and for descriptive purposes only.

Conclusion: The findings will elucidate the relationship between adolescent ED, FF, and parental treatment history, informing clinical interventions and future research directions.
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