Adolescent suicidality and adult support: the reach for health study of urban youth.

OBJECTIVE To examine suicidality among urban youth and its relationship to patterns of adult support. METHODS Study surveyed 879 adolescents. Suicide ideation and attempts, perceived adult support, family and formal network availability, and network activation were assessed. RESULTS Only half of those reporting a suicide attempt had spoken with an adult about their distress. Suicide attempters were more likely than nonattempters to report they would not go to family members in the future, although they were more likely to report a past discussion. CONCLUSION Improving communication among youth, families, and service providers should be a focus of suicide prevention planning.