The need for improved operational definition of suicide attempts: illustrations from the case of street youth

The use of inadequate operational definitions of suicidal behavior is often a limitation of suicide research. In this article, the results of an exploratory qualitative study of street youth suicidality is contrasted with the existing literature to highlight the problems associated with defining suicidal behaviors. It is argued through the use of the case example of street youth that accurate and detailed assessment of suicidal history, context, and intent is necessary to avoid substantial threats to the validity and clinical use of research findings.