Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Parental displacement and adolescent suicidality: exploring the role of failed belonging
Katherine A Timmons1, Edward A Selby, Peter M Lewinsohn
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
Abstract:
Prior studies have demonstrated that events causing displacement from parents--such as parental death, abandonment of the adolescent, or divorce--represent a risk factor for adolescent suicide, but research to date has not established a theoretical model explaining the association between parental displacement and adolescent suicidal behavior. The current studies examined the construct of failed belonging proposed by the interpersonal theory of suicide as one factor that may link parental displacement with adolescent suicide. Study 1 found that low levels of belonging mediated the association between parental displacement and adolescent suicide attempts in a large, urban community sample of older adolescents between the ages of 18 and 23. In Study 2, parental displacement interacted with low belonging to predict suicide attempts, such that adolescents (average age = 16.6 years; SD = 1.2) who experienced both displacement and low levels of belonging had the highest risk for suicide.
Related Concept Videos
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Importance of Need for Affiliation
Attachment Styles
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth. This guiding role...
Sources of Self-Esteem I: Family Experience

