Relationships Between Parental Involvement and Suicidal Ideation among In-school Adolescents in Vietnam: A Multilevel Analysis of the Global School-Based Student Health Survey 2019

Youth suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents, but evidence about the influences of parental involvement on adolescent suicidal behaviors is inconsistent and have not been well studied. We used nationally representative data from the Vietnam Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) 2019 (n = 7796 students aged 13-18 years). Using the 2-level random intercept logistic regressions, we evaluated the relationship between parental involvement (high expectation, monitoring, and understanding) and suicidal ideation and identified related factors of suicidal ideation. The overall prevalence of suicidal ideation was 15.6%. While high level of parental monitoring and understanding were associated with lower odds of suicidal ideation among adolescents (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.52-0.77 and OR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.49-0.73, respectively), high parental expectation was linked to higher odds of suicidal ideation (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.24-1.63). Other risk factors at the individual- and school-level for suicidal ideation included being girls, living in urban areas, having mental health problems, involving in risk behaviors, suffering from bullying and violence, and poor school quality. Targeted suicide prevention initiatives should take into account comprehensive aspects of parent-child bonding, student, and school factors to mitigate the burden of suicidal behaviors among adolescents.