NCJ Number
117043
Date Published
1988
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Interviews with eight parents of gifted adolescent sons who committed suicide identified several possible causes of the suicide: schools' lack of acceptance of adolescents' individuality, the effects of competition on self-esteem, lack of coping skills, and suicidal behavior of friends.
Abstract
Literature on adolescence also noted that gifted young people have high personal expectations and can have an overly demanding image of themselves. In addition, educators and guidance counselors generally are unaware that gifted adolescents are often unsure of their personal identities or ability to interact with others. When the curriculum is not challenging or the opportunity for creative co-learning is lacking, the gifted youths experience emotional discomfort. The parents noted that schools often do not recognize the potential stress caused by lack of recognition of individuality. They also commented that the emphasis on competition removes the fun from sports activities. In addition, one student's suicide was probably triggered by a friend's suicide. Parents also recommended that students be taught coping skills at an early age. Findings indicated the need for support from a variety of interrelated resource systems, including family doctors, guidance counselors, and all levels of educational and medical professions that deal with children. Collaboration, cooperative inservice training, and further research are also recommended. 13 references.