Psychological and personal peculiarities of the young with and without suicidal ideation of the Agricultural Technological Baccalaureate of San Luis Potosi (Mexico)

Abstract

Nowadays suicide is the third case of death in young Mexicans. This research aims at identifying the personal and psychological characteristics associated with the presence or absence of suicidal ideation in baccalaureate students of the Potosinan plateau (central Mexico). All the students (313 altogether) of a technological baccalaureate from the state of San Luis Potosí participated. The Roberts' Suicidal Ideation Scale showed to be reliable and valid. The 6.1% of the students demonstrated suicidal ideation. Nine of the characteristics of personal identification corresponded to suicidal ideation whereas five of them match a lack of suicide ideation.
The psychological characteristics associated with suicidal ideation were: Negative Emotion, Requirement of Comfort, Impulsivity, Lack of Concentration, and Negative Future. By contrast, the psychological characteristics associated with the absence of suicidal ideation were: Positive Outlook on Future, Support of Friends and Family. We concluded that Roberts' Suicidal Ideation Scale is a reliable and valid instrument to register suicidal ideation in these youngsters, and that Beck's cognitive theory can explain some of the features that distinguish the presence or absence of suicidal ideation.