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Suicidality, school dropout, and reading problems among adolescents.
Stephanie S Daniel1, Adam K Walsh, David B Goldston
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1087, USA. sdaniel@wfubmc.edu
Journal of Learning Disabilities
|December 15, 2006
Summary
Youth with poor reading skills face higher risks of suicidal thoughts, attempts, and school dropout. Early intervention for reading difficulties may help prevent these negative outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Background:
- Reading difficulties in youth are associated with various adverse outcomes.
- Understanding the link between poor reading and mental health/educational trajectories is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and school dropout in adolescents with poor reading skills compared to those with typical reading.
- To examine the relationship between suicidality and school dropout in this population.
Main Methods:
- Prospective naturalistic study design.
- Recruitment of 188 adolescents from public schools at age 15.
- Repeated research assessments of youth and parents for suicidality, psychiatric, sociodemographic variables, and school dropout.
Main Results:
- Adolescents with poor reading ability showed significantly higher likelihood of suicidal ideation or attempts.
- Poor reading was also associated with a greater likelihood of school dropout.
- These associations remained significant after controlling for sociodemographic and psychiatric variables.
- Suicidality and school dropout were strongly correlated.
Conclusions:
- Poor reading skills represent a significant risk factor for suicidality and school dropout in adolescents.
- Interventions should address reading difficulties and explore the developmental pathways leading to these adverse outcomes.
- Further research is needed to understand the interplay between reading, mental health, and educational persistence.
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