Am I a Good Caregiver for Youth at Risk? Socio-Educational Workers’ Perception of Self-Efficacy Through the Lens of Attachment Theory

This study examines the relationships between the bonding style of an incarcerated adolescent with parents and his/her current feelings of self-esteem, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts and attempts. It also investigates differences between bonding to mother and bonding to father. Some 296 incarcerated adolescents were interviewed using the Parental Bonding Instrument. Significant relationships were found between youths' self-esteem, hopelessness, and suicidal behavior and their bonding style. Youths whose parent(s) had a parental bonding style of affectionless control reported the greatest distress, and youths whose parent(s) had an optimal bonding style reported the least distress. Differences were found between bonding styles with the mother and with the father. Attachment theory may be useful in targeting incarcerated youths who have affectionless control bonding with parent(s) for special interventions since these youths are most at risk for psychosocial problems.

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Early Identification of Youth at Risk for Suicidal Behavior

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000569 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (5) ◽

pp. 326-332

Author(s):

Ivonne Andrea Florez ◽

Devon LoParo ◽

Nakia Valentine ◽

Dorian A. Lamis

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Early Identification ◽

Suicide Risk ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Health Centers ◽

Lack Of Information ◽

Youth At Risk ◽

Logistic Regressions ◽

Lethal Means

Abstract. Background: Early identification and appropriate referral services are priorities to prevent suicide. Aims: The aim of this study was to describe patterns of identification and referrals among three behavioral health centers and determine whether youth demographic factors and type of training received by providers were associated with identification and referral patterns. Method: The Early Identification Referral Forms were used to gather the data of interest among 820 youth aged 10–24 years who were screened for suicide risk (females = 53.8%). Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regressions were conducted to examine significant associations. Results: Significant associations between gender, race, and age and screening positive for suicide were found. Age and race were significantly associated with different patterns of referrals and/or services received by youths. For providers, being trained in Counseling on Access to Lethal Means was positively associated with number of referrals to inpatient services. Limitations: The correlational nature of the study and lack of information about suicide risk and comorbidity of psychiatric symptoms limit the implications of the findings. Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of considering demographic factors when identifying and referring youth at risk to ensure standard yet culturally appropriate procedures to prevent suicide.

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