Academics & Researchers
This page was designed as a resource for researchers looking into the field of adolescent suicide prevention and adolescent mental health. The page includes resources on grant funding opportunities, unexplored research recommendations made by other academics and researchers and publicly accessible data sets that might aid ongoing research projects.
The Need for Information Relevant to Researchers
While information relevant to increased suicide-risk has become common, there are few resources out there that offer a comprehensive look at potential research areas.
Therefore, this website includes several research areas that are in-need of more contribution and investigations. These topics have been identified through a literature review of the available research.
Additionally, this website includes information on possible grant funding opportunities and a sample of publicly available datasets. Clicking on the names of each Data set or Grant Funding Opportunity will take you to the appropriate site
Publicly Accessible Data Sets
Provides publicly available files and analysis tools to use
​
2. Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)
Longest running Longitudinal household survey in the world
​
3. Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS)
Contains data on how Americans age
​
4. Child Care and Early Education Research Connections
Data regarding child care and Early education
​
5. Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and children
Data regarding birth cohort studies, children of the 90s study history
​
6. Personality Interaction Laboratory Study
Examines the link between personality and social relationships
​
​
​
Grant Funding Opportunities
​
2 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Grants
​
​
​
5.Pilot Practice-based Research for Primary Care Suicide Prevention
​
​
7.Behavioral Health Integration Initiative
​
​
Potential Areas to Research
As the rate of suicide among adolescents continues to rise, the research within that area is becoming increasingly relevant. Listed below are possible research topics to explore, as suggested by other researchers within the field
Index
More research is needed to investigate whether adolescent depression partially or fully mediates academic stress and suicidal ideation in non-Asian cultures.
Some have speculated that the link between academic stress and suicidal ideation might be stronger in Southeast Asian countries due to societal pressures for academic excellence
Academic Stress & Suicidal Ideation
Future research regarding addictive personality characteristics, smartphone use, and psychopathologies could provide insight regarding addiction risk behaviors such as suicide attempts
Addiction Behaviors & Suicide
More research is needed to explore and clarify the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide proneness by considering positive and negative urgency as well as alcohol use.
Future research can aim to investigate the relation between depressive symptoms and suicide by considering sensation seeking behaviors
Depressive Symptoms & Suicide
More research is needed to explore the shift in the need for enforcement or encouragement from parents to peers as adolescents age
Enforcement & Encouragement
Replication of a study done to look for an association between impulsivity and suicidality. The replication study should use objective measures of impulsivity rather than self-report. Future research should also seek to differentiate between how impulsivity domains differentiate ideators and attempters
Impulsivity Domains
More research is needed to examine the association between impulsivity and suicidal behavior
Impulsivity & Suicidal Behavior
More research associating internet use with suicidality is needed. Concise measurement strategies are necessary to distinguish between when internet use acts as a stress reliever and when it is dangerous
Internet & Suicidal Ideation
More research is needed to identify associations between parenting styles and adolescent suicidal ideation.
It is also necessary to research adolescents with migration backgrounds in order to tailor prevention programs to their needs
Parenting Style & Suicidal Ideation
More research is needed in examining health service utilization due to a referral from healthcare professionals. More data is needed in regards to post-screening follow-ups
Post-screening Follow-ups
More research is needed regarding the efficacy of social media suicide prevention campaigns. Suicide prevention using social media messaging should be studied further
Social Media Prevention Campaigns
Social Norms & Suicidal Ideation
Future studies regarding suicide prevention programs involving peer-leaders should consider how social norms will affect students opening up to each other about suicidal ideation. Especially in rural areas
More research is needed to evaluate the association between substance use and suicidality. The future research should specifically focus on investigating changes in the trend of substance use in relation to suicidality over time
Substance Use & Suicide
More research is needed to investigate the rate of service uptake amongst adolescents diagnosed with different disorders
Use of Services
More research is needed to investigate the precursors of various forms of violence (date victimization & violence perpetration, peer victimization & violence perpetration). Research should investigate the common risk factors of suicidal behaviors and violence in interpersonal relationships
Violence & Suicidal Behaviors
Research Potential in the field of Acupuncture
In recent decades, the use of needle acupuncture in the treatment of symptoms of anxiety and depression has grown in popularity (37). While many studies have investigated the role of needle acupuncture in mitigating the effects of generalized anxiety disorder and major or minor depression, a great number of papers call for increased research in that area (17,33,37,40).
To get a more comprehensive understanding of what the current literature has revealed about the link between acupuncture and mental health. Please refer to the videos below, where I interview Dr.Broderick, a licensed developmental psychologist with a doctorate in acupuncture.
​
Dr.Broderick emphasizes the need for increased research exploring Multidisciplinary interventions
More research is needed to investigate the effect of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy or Individual/Group support therapy and specific subgroups such as females and racial minority groups
Treatment Subgroups
More research is needed to test the efficacy of different intervention groups (psychotherapy, meditation..) in mitigating the predictors of suicidality
Types of Treatment
Application of Health Models & Theories
Data published by the CDC (10) demonstrated an increase in the suicidality of adolescent girls relative to their elder counterparts. This trend deserves further exploration as it could imply that changes need to be made to current suicide prevention programs as well to the methods of reporting suicidality.
​
Shown below are a couple of Health Models that could be beneficial when applied to prevention programs targeted at adolescent girls.
Transtheoretical
Model
The transtheoretical model is a framework used to explain behavioral change in patients. It can be used as a tool to design effective interventions to undesired behaviors such as self-harm. Promisingly, one study from the Journal of Death and Dying demonstrated that women were more likely to make use of the change processes. So, more research regarding the use of this model and its application among adolescent girls should be done.(6)
Proposed Examples of the Application of the Ecological Perspective to Adolescent Suicide Prevention Programs
The picture to the left demonstrates a social-ecological framework analysis of suicide prevention published by Frontiers in Psychology . The prevention programs suggested require further empirical research and further assessment of their effects on overall suicidality.