A SYSTEMIC SOCIAL DETERMINANT OF SELFESTEEM AND SUICIDE

1
A SYSTEMIC SOCIAL DETERMINANT OF SELF-ESTEEM AND
SUICIDE The Relative Age Effect
Angus Thompson Alberta Centre For Injury control
Research, and the Departments of Psychiatry
Public Health Sciences University of
Alberta Presented at the annual conference of
the Canadian Association For Suicide Prevention,
October 2000, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
2
HOCKEY AND RELATIVE AGE
3
(No Transcript)
4
(No Transcript)
5
SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT AND RELATIVE AGE
6
CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO ARE RELATIVELY YOUNG
AT GRADE ONE ENTRY

• Poorer Achievement
• More Likely Placement in LD Classes
• Thought To Be Less Intelligent By Teachers
• Lower Self-Esteem?

7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
SUICIDE AND RELATIVE AGE
10
Total
312
252
11
SELF-ESTEEM AND RELATIVE AGE
12
(No Transcript)
13
PROBLEMS WITH SELF-ESTEEM

• Does Not Correlate With Supposed Outcomes
• Improved SE No Other Behaviour Change
• Associations Accounted For By Depression
• Too Much Whining!

14
TOTAL SELF-ESTEEM AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
15
SELF-ESTEEM AS AN EPIPHENOMENON
Self-Esteem
Achievement
Depression
Self-Efficacy
Suicide
Socialization
Hope
16
CONCLUSIONS
Relative age effects on emotional development,
and suicidal behaviour are generally left
unattended.
Potential Remedies 1. Changes in the grouping of
children for competitive activities. 2. Further
examination of the role of competition in child
development. 3. Ensure that every child has much
experience with success.