Predictors of Suicide Ideation among the Filipino Youth: Findings from a Nationally Representative Survey of Filipinos Aged 15 to 27
The increasing threat of suicide as a cause of death, especially among the youth
cohort, serves as the raison d?être of this study. Suicide as a cause of death
among young people is increasingly becoming a problem in the Philippines.
Suicide has been observed to be the 9th leading cause of death among those
aged 20-24 since 2003, and responsible for approximately one out of every
three deaths among Filipinos aged 10-24. This study attempted to identify the
individual and community level predictors of suicide ideation among the
Filipino youth using a nationally representative sample of 19,728 Filipino
youth aged 15 to 27. A theoretical framework borne out of the combination of
Robert Agnew?s General Strain Theory and Travis Hirschi?s Social Bonds
Theory was tested in the study for its capability to explain the suicide
phenomenon. Results showed that suicide ideation is a by-product of the
interplay between poor family relationships, nature of peers the youth is
affiliated with, engagement in other deviant behaviors, and availability of
counselors. The findings of the study make salient the importance of five
factors in suicide: (1) the value of strong family relationships especially
between parents and child, (2) the importance of regulating the youth?s
involvement in peer groups, (3) the danger of deviant and risky lifestyles,
(4) the importance of access to guidance counselors, and (5) the danger of
having suicidal peers.