Date of Award
5-2025
Culminating Project Type
Dissertation
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Educational Administration and Leadership, K-12: Ed.D.
Department
Educational Administration and Higher Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Frances Kayona
Second Advisor
Amy Christensen
Third Advisor
Anne Vandeberg
Fourth Advisor
Steve Emerson
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
sense of belonging, suicide prevention, adolescent mental health, school connectedness, LGBTQ+ youth, gender identity
Abstract
This quantitative study examined the relationship between sense of belonging and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among 11th-grade students in Minnesota through analysis of the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey dataset (N = 23,023). The research investigated three questions: how students report their experiences with belonging, the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and the relationship between belonging and suicide risk. Findings revealed moderate overall levels of belonging (M = 22.6, SD = 4.1), with strongest connections to parents (M = 4.4, SD = 0.9) and peers (M = 3.9, SD = 1.0), but weaker connections to community adults (M = 2.8, SD = 1.1). Analysis showed 14.3% of students reported suicide ideation and 3.4% reported suicide attempts, with significantly higher rates among transgender students (40.4-43.5% ideation), LGBTQ+ students (31.6-38.5% ideation), and female students (18.7% ideation) compared to their peers. Point-biserial correlations demonstrated significant negative relationships between sense of belonging and both suicide ideation (r = -0.31, p < 0.0001) and attempts (r = -0.17, p < 0.0001), with large effect sizes (d = 0.88 and d = 0.96 respectively). Logistic regression analyses indicated that each unit increase in belonging score corresponded to a 19% decrease in odds of suicide ideation and a 20% decrease in odds of suicide attempts. The strength of these protective relationships varied across demographic groups, suggesting the need for targeted approaches to fostering belonging among vulnerable populations. These findings have important implications for suicide prevention efforts in educational settings and underscore the critical role of belonging in supporting adolescent mental health.
Recommended Citation
Moody, Denise C., "Minnesota 11th Grade Students: Analysis of Belonging, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicidal Behavior using the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey" (2025). Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership. 133.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/edad_etds/133
