SURVEY RESULTS: Suicidal-Related Behaviors & Thoughts Among WHS & WMS Students

WILMINGTON, MA – At its meeting last week, the Wilmington School Committee was given a report summarizing the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey that was administered to Wilmington 7th-11th graders last spring.

IMPORTANT NOTES: Students answered the questions anonymously during a single class period.  Parents were able to opt their children out – few did.  Invalid responses (e.g., blatant lying) were not included in the results.  Questions varied between the high school and middle schools surveys, in part, because the high school survey was based on the national version and the middle school survey was based on the Massachusetts version.

The report was divided into SEVEN sections.  Below is a summary (of the summary) of the section on suicide-related behaviors and thoughts.

Hurt or injured self on purpose in the past 12 months:

  • 10.1% of 9th graders
  • 11.6% of 10th graders
  • 16% of 11th graders

Feelings of sadness or hopelessness for two weeks or more in a row in the past 12 months:

  • 24.3% of 9th graders
  • 18.9% of 10th graders
  • 23.1% of 11th graders

Seriously considered attempting suicide in your life:

  • 22.4% of 7th graders
  • 20.2% of 8th graders

Seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months:

  • 10% of 9th graders
  • 7.2% of 10th graders
  • 16.7% of 11th graders

Made a suicide plan in your life:

  • 14.2% of 7th graders
  • 13.8% of 8th graders

Made a suicide plan in the past 12 months:

  • 10.7% of 9th graders
  • 9.9% of 10th graders
  • 9% of 11th graders

Attempted suicide in your life:

  • 6% of 7th graders
  • 7.1% of 8th graders

Attempted suicide in the past 12 months:

  • 7.1% of 9th graders
  • 8.8 of 10th graders
  • 5.1% of 11th graders

The full high school report can be read HERE. The full middle school report can be read HERE.

Watch last week’s Wilmington School Committee Meeting below, courtesy of Wilmington Community Television. The presentation on the survey results begins at the 20:45 mark.

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