Journal of Iranian Social Studies

Abstract Background and aim: Suicide attempts among adolescents are a multidimensional phenomenon that cannot be explained solely by individual factors and require attention to familial and social contexts. This study aimed to identify the causal configurations affecting different types of suicide attempt behaviors among adolescents in Mashhad.
Data and method: This study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, employing qualitative content analysis and qualitative comparative analysis based on Boolean algebra. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 61 adolescents aged 15 to 18 years who had experienced non-fatal suicide attempts. Participants were selected through purposive sampling and based on the principle of maximum variation.
Findings: The findings revealed four main types of suicide attempts, including “escape from suffering,” “impulsive-reactive,” “protest-communicative,” and “existential.” Dysfunctional family relationships were the central causal condition across all types. In the escape from suffering type, the simultaneous presence of structural family breakdown, social isolation, and environmental pressures played a determining role. The impulsive-reactive type emerged in families with relative cohesion but harmful emotional relationships. The existential type was explained by structural loneliness and a crisis of meaning, while the protest-communicative type was explained by the lack of legitimate channels for expressing protest and environmental pressures.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that family dysfunction, in interaction with weak intermediary and support institutions, places adolescents in a cycle of suffering and structural impasse, shaping different pathways to suicide attempts. Therefore, effective prevention requires interventions beyond the individual level, based on strengthening families and developing social and support networks.