Abstract
Introduction. Adolescent suicidal behavior is determined by socio-psychological factors. This study aims to analyze suicidal behavior among adolescents depending on their cognitive distortions and represents the first attempt to present standardization data on the cognitive distortions questionnaire. The authors (a) describe four suicidal behaviors on the Internet, (b) analyze group and individual cognitive mechanisms that determine these suicidal behaviors on the Internet.
Methods. The empirical study involved adolescents with low sociometric statuses in their school groups, who visited the social networking groups containing suicidal content. Theoretical analysis, content analysis, questionnaire survey, and psychodiagnostic tests, including the questionnaires developed by the authors, were employed in the study.
Results. According to different suicidal behaviors the authors distinguished the following groups among the surveyed adolescents: suiciders, imitators, artists, and spectators. Illusory correlation, distortion in the evaluation of group homogeneity, group polarization, and confirmation bias were the most common group cognitive mechanisms in the whole sample. Dichotomous thinking, catastrophizing, personalization, devaluation of positive events, emotional reasoning, and stigmatization were the most common individual cognitive mechanisms.
Discussion. The findings of the study suggest that the group of suicidal behaviors determine the differences in adolescents’ choice of group and individual cognitive mechanisms of communication. Because of invalidity of other techniques, the authors propose a program of cognitive correction in each of the distinguished groups.
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