Gestor bibliográfico Crisis y Salud

Suicide among children is considered to be a rare event, although it is still one of the leading causes of death in children younger than 15 years of age worldwide (Pelkonen & Marttunen, 2003; Vajani, Annest, Crosby, Alexander, & Mille, 2007). Compared to other age groups, the prevalence of suicide in children is more likely to be underestimated (Beautrais, 2001; Crepeau-Hobson, 2010; Fortune & Hawton, 2007; McClure, 2001). Possible reasons for this underestimation may be the social stigma and shame surrounding suicide in general, the reluctance by officials or coroners to determine a verdict of suicide in a child, disparities in death classification systems, and/or the misconception that children are precluded from engaging in suicidal acts due to cognitive immaturity (Crepeau-Hobson, 2010; Schmidt, Muller, Dettmeyer, & Madea, 2002; Shaw, Fernandes, & Rao, 2005; Pritchard & Hansen, 2005). However, research has indicated that, from the age of 8 on, children understand the concept of suicide (Mishara, 1998; Fortune & Hawton, 2007) and are capable of carrying it out.