Exploring preteens' understanding of death and suicide: age-related differences and implications for suicide assessment

The National Institute of Mental Health awarded Teachers College Columbia University $173,128 on February 12, 2026, under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242) to conduct research examining how preteen youth understand death and suicide and the implications for clinical suicide assessment.

The recipient will collect self-report data on death conceptualizations and traditional suicide assessments from two research studies examining suicide among preteen youth. The study employs a newly developed measure designed for preteens, the Continuity of Functioning After Death Interview (COFAD), to assess biological and non-biological domains of death and suicide. The research addresses three specific aims: examining age-related differences in understanding of death, testing whether preteen understanding of death is dependent on the cause of death, and exploring how preteens with suicidal thoughts and behaviors conceptualize death. Traditional self-report measures will evaluate the presence of suicidal ideation. The project is intended to produce foundational understanding needed to create more developmentally appropriate suicide assessments and to uncover malleable intervention targets addressing preteen suicide.

Performance of work occurs in New York, New York. The project period runs from the award date through August 31, 2028.

Abstract

Suicide is a leading cause of death for youth in the united states and is notoriously difficult to assess, predict, and treat. Recent united states trends indicate preteen youth are dying by suicide at an alarming rate; however, little is known or understood about how children conceptualize death by suicide. This has made IT difficult to determine if traditional approaches to suicide assessment, which typically presume respondents' clear understanding of suicide, are developmentally appropriate for preteen youth. Thus, research on preteens' understanding of suicide and death warrants further study and may have important implications for clinical assessment and intervention. The proposed study will examine how preteen youth uniquely perceive death and suicide, and how such perceptions relate to responses on traditional suicide assessments. Specifically, we will examine age-related differences in understanding of death (aim 1), test whether preteen understanding of death is dependent on the cause of death (aim 2), and explore how preteens with suicidal thoughts and behaviors conceptualize death (aim 3). Self-report data on death conceptualizations and traditional suicide assessments will be collected from two research studies examining suicide among preteen youth. Both studies will employ a newly developed measure designed for preteens, the continuity of functioning after death interview (cofad), to assess biological and non-biological domains of death and suicide. Traditional self- report measures will be used to evaluate for the presence of suicidal ideation. Results will offer the foundational understanding needed to create more developmentally appropriate suicide assessments and may uncover malleable intervention targets addressing preteen suicide.