FAMILY RELATIONS FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF FEMALE YOUTHS WITH SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Research on youth's suicidal behavior often focuses on individuals rather than families. This exploratory research is related to family relations in female youths with suicidal behavior. This study's respondents were ten suicidal female youths (aged 15 to 24) divided into two groups: ' attempt' and 'no-attempt'. The FACES IV, family communication scale, and family satisfaction scale were given at the beginning of the study, which was continued with in-depth interviews to explore the flexibility, cohesion, and communication of their family relations. In the attempt group, FACES IV resulted in low balanced cohesion (35.8 respectively), low balanced flexibility (41.2 respectively), and low family communication (15.4 respectively). Surprisingly, all participants of both groups rated their family satisfaction levels low, meaning that all participants were dissatisfied with the family functioning. The interview resulted in eight main themes: lack of emotional closeness, family conflict, sibling relationship, leadership in the family, obedience, autonomy, and control, and mendhem rasa (buried emotion, in Javanese culture), and weak communication skills. In conclusion, the family's hierarchical relationships, family conflict, and emotional distance become the risk factors for adolescent suicidal behavior. The perspectives found in this study with suicidal female youths suggest that family-based prevention and intervention of suicidal behavior in youths need to understand family cultural values while encouraging to build emotional closeness and communication skills in the family.