COU292: Every month last year, more than two young people aged 10 to 19 killed themselves. The year’s total of 27 was twice: Research Methods in Counselling Home Work, SUSS, Singapore

Every month last year, more than two young people aged 10 to 19 killed themselves. The year’s total of 27 was twice as many as the year before and the highest in 15 years. The rate also stands in contrast with the overall reported suicide rate in Singapore, which last year was at its lowest since 2012.

Troubled young people who reach out to suicide prevention agency Samaritans of Singapore cite mental health issues, academic pressure, and relationship problems at home and in school as their greatest sources of stress.

The number of suicides in this group has risen even as the group itself is shrinking, declining by 7.1 percent since 2012, thus underscoring the increasing urgency of identifying and helping children at risk, said experts.

Overall, there were 409 reported suicides in the 2015 financial year, compared with 415 in 2014. It resulted in a suicide rate of 8.43 per 100,000 population, a sharp drop from 10.27 in 2012.

However, the teenage years can be a difficult time when young people struggle with issues of identity and belonging, said the Samaritans of Singapore. At greater risk are those who have mental health issues and are stressed by home and study environments.

Also, growing up in the digital age could make them particularly susceptible to negative online influences that might steer them into harming themselves or developing suicidal tendencies, said Ms. Petrinc Lim, a principal social worker at Fei Yue Community Services.

Teenagers who lack healthy outlets to express their pain, such as a supportive family and social.

Question 1

Interpret the newspaper article critically and discuss the validity of the following claims:

(a) There were 409 reported suicides in 2015, which was lower than the 415 cases in 2014.

(b) There were 27 cases of reported teenage suicide in 2015, which was twice as many as the year before and the highest in 15 years.

Question 2

Explain how mixed methods can be applied to gain more insights into this topic.

Question 3

(a) You are a school counselor, and you are tasked to conduct a social survey on depression among secondary school students. Explain the various sources of error that you would examine and demonstrate how you would conduct the survey to reduce these errors as much as possible.

(b) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of social surveys and their appropriateness for counseling research involving secondary school students.

Question 4

(a) Demonstrate your knowledge of qualitative data analysis by discussing the appropriate use of coding and narrative analysis.

(b) Professor Jones is conducting a research study with married couples on counseling and marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction is measured by a self-administered test, where higher scores denote greater satisfaction with the marriage. As his research assistant, suggest the most appropriate statistical test to use for each of the following research questions. Justify your choice by explaining the statistical test used.

• Is there a difference in marital satisfaction before and after counseling?
• Is self-esteem a predictor of marital satisfaction?
• What is the relationship between gender and marital satisfaction?