Published Paper Details:

By nature, adolescents are vulnerable to mental health problems due to the changes and transitions which characterizes this period of human life cycle. Although there are many factors associated with suicide attempts and suicidal ideation among adolescents, mental disorders are found to have a strong positive connection with it. The study was carried out with four subjects, who were between 17 to 19 years of age. To fulfill the objectives of the study, AB Single Subject design was used, consisting of five each repeated measurement during the baseline phase (A) and the intervention phase (B). A package of social work intervention strategies, consisting of individual counselling, psychoeducation, parental counselling and relaxation techniques were used with the aim to reduce both the intensity of psychological problems and suicidal ideation among the subjects. The scores of both psychological problems and suicidal ideation was found to have reduced for all the four subjects from the pre to the post-intervention assessment phases. To find out the effectiveness of the social work intervention strategies in reducing the target problems statistically, the 2SD method was used. The social work intervention strategies adopted by the researcher were found to be statistically effective in reducing the psychological problems and suicidal ideation of the subjects. Both mental health and suicidal ideation among adolescents is a serious concern, for which, early detection and compassionate support is required. Although the study has certain methodological limitations, it highlights the need for integrating social work intervention research into social work practice.