EXPERIENCE OF PROJECT WORK TO IDENTIFY ANXIETY AS A POSSIBLE FACTOR IN TEENAGE SUICIDE AND ITS PREVENTION AMONG SCHOOLCHILDREN IN ALMATY

Abstract

Introduction: In Kazakhstan, teenage suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15-19, second only to road accidents. According to UNESCO, more than 300 cases of suicide among adolescents are recorded in the country every year, and this figure continues to grow. Most often, adolescent suicides are committed due to high anxiety, depression, stressful situations at school, social problems and peer pressure. In 2023, 204 cases of completed suicide were recorded among children aged 11 to 17. Aim. To highlight the experience of project work on identifying anxiety as a possible factor in teenage suicide and its prevention among schoolchildren in the city of Almaty. Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study involving 7862 students in grades 5-11 of schools in the Almaly and Bostandyk districts of Almaty was conducted from October 7, 2024, to December 31, 2024. The participants in the study were tested and interviewed in order to identify children with anxiety. Testing of students in grades 5-8 was carried out using the School Anxiety Questionnaire (Phillips B.N. [5]). Testing of students in grades 9-11 was carried out using the Anxiety Level Diagnostics Method (Beck A. [2]). Results: Signs of high anxiety were identified in 327 (4.2%) children who received individual work from the center’s psychologists and school specialists. Conclusions: High anxiety is already recorded among students in grades 5-11. The main factors of high anxiety are: social (bullying, loneliness, problems in the family, peer pressure), economic (poverty, unemployment of parents, financial instability in the family) and psychological (depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, lack of support, mental disorders. There is insufficient access to psychological help and prevention of anxiety as a factor in teenage suicide. It is important to develop support in families, schools and workplaces of parents or guardians.