The team, comprising of university researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU), Johns Hopkins and Harvard, outlined their machine learning approach in the journal PLOS One. The paper also details risk factors that are leading predictors of suicidal ideation and behaviour among adolescents: online harassment and bullying.
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the US,” said Michael Barnes, study co-author and associate dean of the BYU College of Life Sciences. “We must have a better understanding of the risk factors – and the protective factors – associated with this heartbreaking issue.”
The study results show researchers can predict with high accuracy which adolescents will exhibit suicidal thoughts (consideration or planning) or suicidal behaviour (attempting) based on experiences they face.
The team analysed data from 179,384 junior high and high school students, along with those who took part in the Student Health and...