Tracing the Social Frames of Youth Suicide. A Theoretical Meta-analysis

Abstract

Youth suicide is a personal and social tragedy generally understood as an individual phenomenon while sociocultural approaches are overlooked. This meta-analysis of 26 qualitative research articles maps the theories and concepts of youth suicide applied within social scientific research, contributing to a social meta-theory of how youth suicide is approached and explained. The findings reveal that social scientific approaches bring forth the lack of a sense of belonging associated with youth suicide, either within society as a whole, within specific subgroups, or in family relationships. The main conclusion of the study is that the social frames of youth suicide research define the space occupied by youth as becoming independent members in society. Struggles related to young people’s search for an adult identity within various social roles and expectations can engender desperate emotions, sometimes leading to harmful decisions such as taking one’s own life as a means of escape.