Adolescents' Self-reported Running Away from Home and Suicide Attempts During a Period of Economic Recession in Greece.

Background: Running away from home and suicide attempts during adolescence are high-risk behaviors for safety and health, and a 'way out' from negative life experiences. Objective: To examine the self-reported prevalence of running away and suicide attempts among adolescents in Greece in the midst of a severe economic recession which is exerting pressure on families, and to identify associated psychosocial factors. Methods: Data were drawn from a nationally representative school survey (n = 23,279, 15-19 years old). Students answered in their classrooms an anonymous questionnaire under the supervision of trained researchers. Results: Each behavior was reported by one in nine adolescents (11.3 % for lifetime suicide attempts and 11.6 % for lifetime running away). Among those who reported the one behavior, a quarter also reported the other. Logistic regression analyses indicated that these behaviors share several common psychosocial correlates: family related (quality of parental relationships, parental monitoring), school related (poor performance and dissatisfaction), substance use, and emotional, psychological and behavioral problems. Gender was a significant correlate but in opposite directions for running away (more common among boys) and suicide attempts (more common among girls). Socioeconomic status was not a significant correlate for either behavior, possibly because the impact of the economic crisis on parents had not yet filtered down to their children in 2011 (the survey year). Conclusions: Findings suggest the need for timely interventions towards vulnerable youth and their families by identifying personal, familial and school factors associated with these two health- and life-compromising behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]