No abstract

Exposure to suicidal behavior (ESB) through social networks is often associated with an increased risk of suicidality, but empirical research-largely limited to the Western populations-has produced mixed results. Using survey data, we examined (a) the association between ESB and suicide attempt, and (b) the exacerbating role of ESB on gender differences in suicide attempt risk among Turkish adolescents (N = 2035). ESB was significantly associated with increased risk of suicide attempt, and it contributed to the higher attempt risk among girls. Suicidal behaviors spread through social networks via ESB, and suicide contagion exacerbates the existing gender differences.

Motivation is a key factor for the military institution to accomplish its goals. Extant academic research, however, has generally focused on the combat motivation and the motivation to serve has been understudied. This study examines the motivation to serve and its predictors among Turkish military officers and NCOs. The aim of the current study is 2-fold: (1) to test the effectiveness of measures proposed by previous studies in Turkish Armed Forces and (2) to build on the existing body of knowledge by showing the impacts of perceived fairness and satisfaction with social benefits. Survey data, which were conducted only 2 months before the coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016, were used to assess the motivation. Findings revealed that institutional and moral commitments, organizational responsiveness, perceived fairness, and satisfaction with social benefits were positive significant determinants of motivation to serve, while occupational commitment had a negative relationship with it.

Military service has been shown to affect individuals’ criminal and deviant tendencies. Studies on military service and deviance, however, has generally focused on combat veterans, utilized cross-sectional data, and ignored the potentially differential impact of military service based on sociodemographic variations. Utilizing the Add Health data and multilevel growth curve modeling, this study intends to reveal (a) trajectories of deviance from adolescence through adulthood, (b) whether military service in young adulthood moderates these trajectories, and (c) whether any of these relationships change by race, gender, and parental education. Findings revealed that military service was associated with a reduction in rates of delinquency, aggressive behavior, and drug use over time, and these patterns did not change by sociodemographic differences.

School absenteeism is a complicated problem with a variety of causes. It has been shown to be one of the main predictors of school drop-outs as well as leading to delinquency and criminal behavior in adulthood. This study examines the applicability of General Strain Theory on educational factors by considering truancy as a risk behavior. In this empirical study, we test the explanatory powers of certain kinds of strain, including school strain, economic deprivation, negative life events, anger, college plans, past victimization, and depression on students’ truancy. Data were drawn from the part of 2008 Youth in Europe Survey conducted in Istanbul in 2008. The sample consists of 2445 high school students. Results indicate that school strain, anger, and negative life events are significantly associated with likelihood of truancy while past victimization and economic strain have no effect. College goal and depression, on the other hand, have relatively weaker effects on students’ school absenteeism. Findings revealed that there is a relationship between cutting classes and certain kinds of strain among Turkish adolescents. The study also demonstrates that General Strain Theory is applicable for problematic behaviors in an educational context and generalizable to countries other than the U.S.