Young people's disclosure of suicidal thoughts and behavior: A scoping review

Background

Disclosure of suicidal ideation offers a significant opportunity for intervention and pathways to care. Family can be instrumental in young people accessing care. To date there is limited knowledge about the patterns of disclosure of suicidal ideation and behavior in young people, particularly to their family.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted to identify studies of disclosure of suicidal ideation and behavior in young people (aged 12–25), to identify the rates of disclosure to informal supports, and the effects of that disclosure. Online databases PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed were searched for eligible articles.

Results

Thirty-five studies used a quantitative method, seven reported on qualitative research and two used mixed methods. Studies were examined based on design, setting, sample, reported disclosure, target of disclosure and impact. Rates of suicidal ideation disclosure varied widely amongst community and clinical samples. Few studies reported on the impact of disclosure on either the young person and the target, how the young person perceived the reaction, and how that relates to future disclosure and help-seeking.

Limitations

No quality analysis or meta-analyses were done; studies had to be in English, limiting representation. The measurement of suicidal ideation and its disclosure were inconsistent across studies.

Conclusions

There is a need to understand how young people choose who they disclose suicidal ideation to and what impact the suicidal disclosure has on both parties. Understanding how disclosures to family members affect help-seeking longitudinally is important and may provide avenues for targeted clinical intervention.