Research Memo #1

Hypothesis:

My research is about teen suicide and what the main cause of it is. Teens commit suicide for many different reasons, but which social environment is the most influential and will most likely lead to suicide? I think that respondents will say that what is happening at school is the main reason because teens are harassed at school all the time. I think teens will say that the environment in their life that influences them the most is school because school controls your home life and your "outside of the house" life.

 

Context:

    Kids are often bullied at school or through technology at home by kids from school. Last year there was a time period, between August and December, when you could not look at a magazine without seeing the face of a teen that had committed suicide on the cover. I looked on a people magazine one day and saw the faces of three teen, 13, 16, and 17, who had killed themselves recently; it was very sad. Then, when my uncle killed himself I stared to wonder what situation would most likely lead to a teen committing suicide. I'm giving my survey to kids that are thirteen to eighteen years old to receive their opinion on what environment affects them the most.

 

Results:

	Males	Females
Do you think that teen suicide is a big problem in the community?	Yes	Yes
What would you say is the main cause of teen suicide?	Bullying, problems at home, and drags/alcohol	Bullying, problems at home, and drugs/alcohol
What would you say is the most influential environment in your life?	Home	Out with friends
In your opinion, why do teens commit suicide?	They feel no one loves them/ depressed	They feel worthless or unhappy/ to solve their problems
Do you know anyone (that is a teen) personally that has committed suicide?	No	Yes
What percentage of teens do you think commit suicide?	5-15	20-75
At what age do you think most teens commit suicide?	14/16/17	15-17
Have you seen any magazines or newspaper articles about teen suicide in the past five years?	Yes	Yes
If so what did they say? What did they make you feel?	Someone killed themselves/sad	Someone killed themselves/bad or sad
If a teen commits suicide do you think that the blame can be placed on the parents?	Sometimes	Sometimes

 

Data Analysis: The results were what I thought they were going to be. Males and females agreed on most of the questions except whether or not they knew anyone that committed suicide. Females said yes and males said no. it surprised me that males did not know people that committed suicide.

Conclusion: Most of the results were as I expected. Females and males agreed on almost everything.

Follow Up: In my next memo I will see what environments influences more teens to commit suicide.