Young New Zealanders’ beliefs about youth suicide and how it can be prevented

Abstract

New Zealand has the highest suicide rate amongst youth (ages 15-24) in the OECD. We aimed to conduct a conceptual replication of two previous studies, examining the views that youth in New Zealand hold about the causes of youth suicide, possible solutions, and help-seeking. One hundred university students aged 18 to 24 completed a mixed-methods online survey; 89% were female. One of four hypotheses was supported: Students who were personally aware of another student's suicidality were more willing to seek help for others from the university counselling service. Qualitative findings indicated that bullying and stigma were the most commonly perceived causes of youth suicide, and improvement of mental health services was the most frequently recommended solution. The views of youth should be included in the future development of mental health services and policies aimed at reducing suicide rates for this population.