A suicide crisis in a family can affect more than the young person receiving treatment. In a qualitative study of 12 teenagers hospitalized after a suicide attempt and 12 of their parents, both groups described intense distress, disrupted routines and a worsening parent-child relationship.
The study was conducted at the Third People’s Hospital of Huai’an City in Jiangsu province, China, and published in BMC Pediatrics in 2026. The findings offer a close look at the experiences of these families, but they do not show how common the patterns are or prove that a parent’s behavior caused a suicide attempt.
Stress moved in both directions
All 12 teenagers said a parent’s anxiety or distress had triggered suicidal thoughts. At the same time, 11 of the 12 parents said their mood rose and fell with how their child was doing that day.
The relationship was also marked by silence. Ten teenagers had stopped sharing their feelings with their parents, often after being scolded for overreacting. Nine parents had reduced how often they talked with their child, mainly because they feared saying something that might contribute to a relapse. Eight parents said they avoided mental-health topics altogether, even when they could see their child was still struggling.
Eleven teenagers described home as emotionally unsafe. Eight viewed their parents’ caregiving as an attempt to control them, while seven said perceived parental sacrifices led to more suicidal thoughts. The researchers noted that parents’ actions were described as attempts to protect their children and that much of the harm appeared to be unintentional.
Misunderstanding and delayed care
Only three parents understood depression as a medical condition. The other nine tended to associate it with weakness or bad choices. All 12 teenagers said feeling misunderstood by their parents was a main source of suicidal thoughts.
The teenagers had experienced depressive symptoms for an average of 8.7 months before hospitalization. An average of 5.3 months passed between their first symptoms and appropriate psychiatric care, and eight families initially sought help from non-specialist providers.
The teenagers were 12 to 17 years old, with an average age of 14.9. Seven were girls and five were boys. All had a severe depressive episode and a suicide attempt in the month before admission; nine had made more than one previous attempt.
A crisis that reshaped daily life
Families described consequences beyond symptoms and appointments. Ten reported a complete breakdown of normal routines, nine were confused about responsibilities, seven reported marital strain or separation, and 11 said the parent-child relationship had become much worse.
Parents also reported physical and financial effects. Eight developed new physical symptoms after their child’s diagnosis, including headaches and digestive problems. Five reported work disruption, three took extended leave, and seven families lost more than 30% of their income.
Families spent an average of 42,500 yuan per year on treatment, described in the study as 34.2% of regional median household income. Four families spent more than 50,000 yuan. Nine teenagers felt guilty about treatment costs, and seven said financial burden contributed to their suicidal thoughts.
Eleven families reported discrimination or social rejection related to the child’s mental health. Returning to school was also difficult: 10 teenagers encountered obstacles, and seven had to provide extensive medical paperwork and signed liability waivers.
What the study can—and cannot—tell us
The teenagers and parents were interviewed separately for about 30 to 40 minutes each. Two researchers independently coded the interviews, with a Cohen’s kappa of 0.87, indicating strong agreement in the coding process.
Still, the study involved only 12 families from one hospital. All of the teenagers had severe depression and had recently attempted suicide, so the findings may not reflect families receiving community care or families in other countries. Each person was interviewed once during a hospital stay, and all interviews were conducted by the department’s head nurse, which may have influenced what participants shared.
The study describes participants’ perceptions rather than proving cause and effect. Its Chinese setting also matters: academic pressure, family expectations, stigma and out-of-pocket costs may differ elsewhere.
Why family-centered care matters
The findings are consistent with several other studies cited by the researchers. A study of 1,604 Chinese adolescents with depression found that those reporting suicidal thoughts also described less emotional warmth from both parents and more interference from their mothers. Another survey of 1,028 middle-school students linked perceived parental conflict with higher risk of suicidal intent, while strong attachment to either parent was associated with lower risk.
Research involving 15 Chinese caregivers of teenagers who had attempted suicide also described intense negative emotions, practical dilemmas, limited outside support and a need for information.
Based on these findings, the researchers call for family-centered care that includes caregivers, helps them manage stress and teaches families how to communicate about depression. The study did not test a specific program, so it cannot establish which type of support works best.
For families facing a young person’s suicide risk, the central message is not to assign blame. Both teenagers and parents in this study described fear, misunderstanding and protective efforts that sometimes deepened disconnection. Support that addresses the young person and the caregiver together may help families stay engaged with treatment while making room for honest, nonjudgmental communication.
AI tools were used to assist with the preparation of this article.
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