The Impact of Social Relationships on Suicide
Introduction
For many adolescents, suicide awareness has become a prominent part of their social
development. Whether through social media, school programs, or advertisements, anti-suicide
media is everywhere. However, suicide continues to be in the top three causes of death for
adolescents (NIH). With this information, thoroughly investigating the causes of suicide has
become an urgent matter. Just imagining a family member or close friend being lost to suicide is
an incredibly devastating thought. Unfortunately, for some families, it is a heartbreaking reality.
The need to research the factors of suicide over the past hundred years has become increasingly
apparent. By implementing this research, root causes can be found, and suicide rates can be
lowered. Clinical and psychological risk factors are among the top causes of suicide but are often
not clearly identified. By diving deeper into the investigation, they will no longer be
inconclusive. Suicide studies are in high demand because of the rising rates, complexity, and
inherent danger to life. However, those rising rates have not decreased despite the several studies
conducted (Lu et al.). When examining adolescent suicide through a social lens, suicidal
adolescents and their friends emerge as significant stakeholders, as their interests and objectives
are intricately linked to suicide. Thus, the question arises: How have familial relationships and
friendships influenced suicide in adolescents?
The Effect of Familial Relationships
Suicidal adolescents can agree that negative parent-child relationships create higher suicidal
ideation and suicide rates. Consoli et al., researchers of psychiatry at prestigious universities in
France, such as Sorbonne Université, find that “specifically, perceived negative relationships
2
with either or both parents...were associated with suicidality” (Consoli et al. 11). Parents
continuously shape a teenager’s emotional and mental health development as they grow. If they
are exposed to parental or relationship toxicity, whether it is through “problematic
communication, poor attachment, or high levels of conflict,” an adolescent is more likely to
develop suicidal thoughts and act upon them (Consoli et al. 10). Although negative parent-child
relationships may also be a key aspect in rising adolescent suicide rates, Qin et al., researchers
and professors at Aarhus University in Denmark, argue that there are other factors of these rates,
like a family history of suicide, that “significantly increases suicide risk...in [adolescents]” (Qin
et al. 129). The effect that family history has on suicide is due to a combination of psychological
and possible genetic triggers. Genetically, there may be some traits that impact susceptibility to
mental disorders, further increasing suicide risk. Psychologically, experiencing a family dynamic
that has lost a member to suicide can increase vulnerability to suicidality in adolescents, after
seeing the trauma and grief their family is being put through. Overall, the relationship between
familial relationships and suicide in adolescents is seen as such: negative relationships between
parents and children are one of the main causes of increased suicide rates in adolescents.
Many suicidal adolescents believe it is important to consider that a lack of marital
harmony between parents creates higher suicidal ideation and suicide rates in adolescents.
According to Levy et al., researchers specializing in psychology and psychiatry at prestigious
universities in Toronto and Israel, an unbalanced marriage “was linked to increased suicidal
ideation in all three groups...and aggressive marital relationship was linked to increased selfharm behavior in children and adolescents” (Levy et al. 815). A lack of marital harmony between
parents can take a toll on teenagers’ mental health. Through this scarcity, their home
environment becomes more tense, stressful, and unstable, which can lead to feelings of anxiety,
3
depression, and hopelessness. These feelings, along with a sense of isolation, create an increase
in their vulnerability to suicidal ideation. Though a lack of marital harmony is one factor that
greatly increases adolescent suicide rates, Kersi Chavda and Vinyas Nisarga, researchers for the
Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, found that “children of
single-parent families scored [low] on assessments of psychological well-being...and faced
depressions, suicide, and substance abuse at higher rates” (Chavda and Nisarga 16). Children of
single parent families often face these effects because of the financial strain and possible neglect
from parents juggling work and childcare responsibilities. Either way, complicated family
dynamics create children with an increased vulnerability to suicide.
The Effect on Friendships
When an individual commits suicide, their friends are more likely to commit suicide as well.
According to Peter S. Bearman and James Moody, professors of sociology at Columbia and
Duke University, “Having a friend who committed suicide increased the likelihood of suicidal
ideation and attempts for both boys and girls” (Bearman and Moody 92). The relationships
between friends are bonds that have strengthened over time. When suicide breaks those bonds, it
is extremely difficult for a friend to recover from that. Therefore, that friend is more likely to
want to regain that bond by committing suicide or having suicidal thoughts fueled by the desire
to be with their friend again. Though losing a friend to suicide is heartbreaking and very heavy
on someone’s mental health, McGill et al., mental health professionals at the University of New
England, reveal that “providing a range of supports...[was] identified as important...for
facilitating posttraumatic growth in those bereaved by suicide” (McGill et al. 627). The loss of a
close friend to suicide is extremely painful to bear, but with the help of peer support, counseling,
and various support networks, the bereaved can be guided back to their lives. Ultimately, even
4
though having external support can help someone after a loss to suicide, the toll that it takes on
their mental health is extreme and may even lead them to commit suicide.
Friends of suicidal teenagers can also fail to provide social support and connection, which
can cause them to become more vulnerable to suicide. In a publication in ScienceDirect by Hu et
al., “Individuals with...inadequate social support tend to have a high risk of suicide” (Hu et al. 3).
Social support and connections are necessary for mental health to flourish, which is often
provided by friends. Without such connections to peers, a sense of loneliness and isolation could
be acquired. This generally leads to a greater likelihood of developing suicidal thoughts and
acting upon them. Even though the lack of support is a key factor in adolescents’ increased
vulnerability to suicide, a report by Starfield et al. in the Journal of Epidemiology and
Community Health provides another perspective. They found that “the probability of being in the
poorest health profile type group was progressively higher as social class declined” (Starfield et
al. 355). In this case, “poorest health profile type group” refers to mental health (Starfield et al.
355). Not only were those adolescents more susceptible to suicide because of their deteriorating
mental health, but the environment that they were living in led them to become even more
vulnerable to suicidality. Overall, without proper support and connections from friends, peers,
and a stable living environment, adolescents are more likely to commit suicide.
Conclusion
People should be more aware of some possible causes of rising adolescent suicide rates, such as
negative familial relationships and friendships. While there are still causes that may not pertain
to some populations, people should still be aware of how they can affect suicidal tendencies in
close peers. The role of a person in their relationships can affect the other person in drastic ways
and being aware of their actions and communication are vital parts of keeping healthy
5
connections. This could include the incorporation of family dinners or frequent conversations
with friends and family to check up on their well-being. Through these measures, harmonious
and supportive relationships between friends and family can be developed, bonds can be
strengthened, and suicide attempts can effectively be stopped (Choi et al.). While
implementation may take time and effort to conduct, these changes could save millions of
adolescents and protect the future generations of the world.
Word Count: 1,296
6
Works Cited
Bearman, Peter S. and James Moody. “Suicide and Friendships Among American Adolescents.”
American Journal of Public Health, vol. 94, no. 1, pp. 89-95, 1 Jan. 2004.
https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.94.1.89.
Choi, Lee Jun, et al. “Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts Among University Students:
Prevalence and What Stopped them to Actually Committing Suicide.” International
Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol 11, no. 14, pp. 203209, 13 Jan. 2021. https://doi.org/10.20517/jtgg.2020.33.
Consoli, Angèle, et al. “Suicidal behaviors in depressed adolescents: role of perceived
relationships in the family.” Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, vol. 7,
no. 1, pp. 1-12, 16 Mar 2013. https://doi.org/10.1186/1753-2000-7-8.
Hu, Fei-Hong, et al. “Effects of social support on suicide-related behaviors in patients with
severe mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” Journal of Affective
Disorders, vol. 328, pp. 324-333, 1 May 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.070.
Kersi, Chavda and Vinyas Nisarga. “Single Parenting: Impact of Child’s Development.” Journal
of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 14-20, 5
Aug 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/09731342231179017.
Levy, Tomer, et al. “Suicidality risk in children and adolescents with externalizing disorders:
symptoms profiles at high risk and the moderating role of dysregulated family
relationships.” European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 33, pp. 811-820, 12 Apr
2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02190-z.
7
Lu, Da-Yong, et al. “Historical analysis of suicide.” Journal of Translational Genetics and
Genomics, vol. 4, no. 3, 17 Jun. 2020. https://doi.org/10.20517/jtgg.2020.33.
McGill, Katie, et al. “Key issues, challenges, and preferred supports for those bereaved by
suicide: Insights from postvention experts.” Death Studies, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 624-629, 19
Aug. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2022.2112318.
National Institute of Mental Health. “Suicide.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2024.
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.
Starfield. B, et al. “Social class gradients in health during adolescence.” Journal of Epidemiology
and Community Health, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 354-361, 1 May 2002.
https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.56.5.354.
Qin, Ping, et al. “Suicide risk in relation to family history of completed suicide and psychiatric
disorders: a nested case-control study based on longitudinal registers.” The Lancet, vol.
360, no. 9340, pp. 1126-1130, 12 Oct 2002. https://doi.org/10.1016/S01406736(02)11197-4