Parental Employment Status in the Relationship between Traumatic Exposure and Adolescent Suicide Risk

Parent’s socio-economic status is considered a protective factor in families, if it enables family members to access resources and to escape from environmental hardships and if it acts as a buffer against suicide behaviours. This study aimed to investigate what effect the parental employment status has on traumatised adolescents and their suicide risk. Using a cross-sectional and correlational design, 989 grade 10 learners from nine schools in the Free State province were selected. A self-compiled biographical questionnaire, the suicide ideation questionnaire for adolescents, and the stressful life events questionnaire were used to gather information. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis investigated whether parental employment status moderates or mediates the relationship between stressful life exposure and suicide risk. Results indicated a significant relationship (p = 0.000) between stressful life exposure and suicide risk. However, the parental employment status does not moderate the relationship between stressful life exposure and suicide risk. Future studies should explore employment differences, as career choices may create different contexts for support and development of adolescents.Â