De invloed van mastery op suïcidaal gedrag bij adolescenten

Abstract

Suicidal behavior can differ for adolescent boys and girls. Thinking about suicide has the ability to give people a sense of mastery. Mastery is the feeling of being in control of your own life and its progress. In a sample of 1444 participants from 15 secondary schools, a multiple hierarchical regression analysis and a moderation analysis have been conducted to determine if there is a relationship between mastery and suicidal behavior and whether this relationship is moderated by gender. A significant negative relationship has been found between mastery and suicidal behavior. A moderation effect of gender has also been found. The degree of mastery has a greater influence on suicidal behavior when it comes to girls, rather than boys. When mastery increases, it stands out that the girls score lower on suicidal behavior and that this regression line decreases stronger for girls than for boys. The research implies that increasing the sense of mastery in this target group can have a positive influence on suicidal behavior. A recommendation for follow-up research is to enlarge the research to a longitudinal study with a larger sample in order to provide insight into any causal connections. Finally, it is recommended to conduct more research into the operationalization of the concepts of suicidal behavior and mastery.