The Catacombs And Christian Persecutions Essays - Catacombs

The Catacombs and Christian Persecutions The Catacombs and Christian Persecutions The catacombs are the ancient underground cemeteries used by the Christians and the Jewish people in Rome. The Christian catacombs began in the second century and the hollowing out continued until the first half of the fifth century. In the beginning they were only burial places, but later they gathered to celebrate their funeral rites, and the anniversaries of the saints and of the dead. During the persecutions the catacombs were used as places of momentary refuge for the celebration of the Eucharist. After the persecutions they became real shrines of the saints and held centuries of relics of Christians from all over the empire. In the first century, the Roman Christians did not have their own cemeteries. If they owned land then they would bury their relatives there, if they didn't they had to bury them in common cemeteries, the Pagans were also buried here. That is why Saint Peter was buried in the great public necropolis (city of the dead) on Vatican Hill, it was available to everybody. Saint Paul was also buried along the Via Ostiense, a section of the catacombs. In the first half of the second century the Christians started burying their dead underground, this is a result of donations. That is how the catacombs were founded. Many of them began and developed around family tombs whose owners, newly converted Christians, did not reserve them to the members of the family. They did open them up to their fellow people, showing the faith. As time went on and room started to run out in the catacombs, the catacombs grew larger by gifts and by the purchase of new properties, sometimes by the Church itself. With the edict of Milan announced by the emperors Constantine and Licinius in February 313, the Christians were no longer persecuted. They were free to practice their faith, to have places of worship, to build churches both inside and outside the city, and to buy plots of land without fear of seizure. Although the Christians had their freedom to worship any religion, the catacombs continued as regular cemeteries until the beginning of the fifth century. This is when the Church returned to burying only above ground or in the basilicas dedicated to important saints. When the barbarians came down to Rome, they completely destroyed a lot of monuments and demolished many places, including the catacombs. Powerless towards the destruction, the Popes ordered to remove the relics of the saints to the city churches, for security reasons. When the transfer of the relics was completed the catacombs were no longer visited. They were totally abandoned, except for the tombs of Saint Sebastian, Saint Lawrence and of Saint Pancratius. Over the course of time, landslides, rock movement, and vegetation hid the entrances to the other catacombs. The very traces of their existence were lost. During the late Middle Ages they didn't even know where they were. The Christian religion developed rapidly in Rome and all over the world past the 1st century. This was because it was original and suitable for all mankind to believe in. It was also due to the testimony of fervour; this was that the Christians expressed brotherly love and charity to everybody. The Roman authorities were at first unconcerned about the new religion, but soon the people showed themselves hostile to the authorities because the Christians refused to worship the ancient pagan deities of Rome, and also the emperor. The Christians were accused of disloyalty to their fatherland, atheism, hatred towards mankind, and also hidden crimes such as incest, infanticide and ritual cannibalism. Because of this they were held responsible for all natural disasters such as plagues, floods, famines, etc. The Christian religion was proclaimed strange and unlawful by most that's why it was outlawed and persecuted. It was considered the most dangerous enemy of Rome. The first three centuries constitute the age of Saints, which ended in 313 with the edict of Milan. At this time the emperors Constantine and Licinius gave freedom to the Church. The persecutions were not always continuous and universal, nor equally cruel and bloody. Periods of persecution were followed by periods of relative peace. Christians faced persecution with courage, a very large percentage with heroism, but they did not submit to it without resistance. They defended themselves with great strength by defeating the accusations of those crimes as being false and groundless and by producing the contents of their faith. Bibliography 1.) Celebrating Sacraments Joseph Stoutzenberger 2.) Church and State in Early Christianity, ca. 30-600 Hugo Rahner Translated by Leo Donald Advise 3.) The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity John McManners

The eNotes Blog Seven Reads To Lift Your HolidaySpirit

Seven Reads To Lift Your HolidaySpirit The hustle and bustle of the holiday season are in full swing. While some of us may be roasting chestnuts on an open fire, others are feeling overwhelmed by the chaos. Winter is the perfect reading season, so why not avoid the mall mayhem and indulge in some light reading? Here are seven holiday reads sure to leave you feeling festive! A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens When has A Christmas Carol not made a holiday reading list? Arguably, its the most classic Christmas tale that has remained a seasonal staple for generations. Dickens crafted a timeless ghost story that reminds us of the often overlooked joys of the holiday season. One of the most iconic characters in literature, Ebenezer Scrooge symbolizes the redemptive qualities of human nature, reminding us all that it is never too late to make positive changes for a brighter future. As the year comes to an end, this is the perfect novel to encourage reflection on this past year and establish resolutions for the upcoming one. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote A classic story based on Truman Capote’s childhood, A Christmas Memory is a nostalgic account of the author’s last Christmas spent with his older cousin. This novel is full of classic feel-good activity, like baking fruitcakes and flying kits, and inspires readers to hold on to some tethers of tradition. A heartfelt, coming-of-age story, Capotes short story reminds us to reminaboutce on the people and practices that make our holidays truly special. Journey of the Magi by T.S Eliot The Journey of the Magi is a poem from the first-person recollection of a Magus, one of the Persian Magi, who came to visit the Christ child as recorded in the second chapter of Matthew. Beyond the biblical nature of the poem, Eliot explores universal  themes of uncertainty and fear that can accompany times of transition. The next time you pass a Nativity scene this holiday season, whether youre Christian or otherwise, take note of the three wise men bearing gifts and muse on these universal human feelings highlighted in Eliots poem. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham Fed up with the materialistic conventions of Christmas, a married couple decides to save money and abandon their yearly traditions. Their community is not amused by the couple’s efforts to boycott the holiday and purposely try to make the couple regret their decision. While Christmas may be intended to be a unifying occasion, its original purpose is often clouded by the commercialization of society. Grisham’s humorous novel is a reminder of what really matters during the holidays. Hint: its not buying stuff. Kwanzaa and Me by Vivian Gussin Paley KWANZAA AND ME is a series of dialogues based on meetings with the author and teachers, as well as parents, exploring the idea of African-American children being placed in all-black schools to provide more cultural support. Paley’s work encourages readers to have conversations about institutional racism, the education system, and the importance of celebrating heritage. Kwanzaa is a time to honor the virtues that strengthen community, therefore this is a fantastic read to not only shine a light on current issues present in our country but to also gain some perspective this holiday season. Amazing Peace by Maya Angelou During the White House’s Sixty-Third Annual Pageant of Peace in December 2005, Angelou read â€Å"Amazing Peace† before President George W. Bush lit the national Christmas tree. Influenced by the rhetoric, rhythm, and imagery of Southern black preachers and gospel choirs, Angelou acknowledges that humanity has still not found peace, despite the countless progressive efforts made throughout history. Regardless of what you choose to celebrate this holiday season, Angelou’s poem is a reminder that we should all practice peace.   A New Year’s Eve Adventure by Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffman A New Year’s Eve Adventure is a story-within-a-story, merging reality with fantasy. Essentially, it’s about a man who falls in love with a beautiful woman, sells his soul to the devil, and is doomed to wander eternally in search of his lost self. While this may be far from your ideal New Year’s Eve adventure, this story is an entertaining, romantic fantasy sure to inspire a good look into the mirror. Do you want to learn more about these authors and their other literary works? Check out to find detailed biographies of your favorite authors alongside full summaries and study guides! (Feature Photo via Pinterest)

Biography of Meriwether Lewis, American Explorer

Biography of Meriwether Lewis, American Explorer Meriwether Lewis, born August 18, 1774 in Virginia, is best known as the co-captain of the historic Lewis and Clark Expedition. But in addition to his role as a famed explorer, he was a young plantation owner, a committed military man, a controversial politician, and a confidant of President Jefferson. Lewis died in 1809 of gun shot wounds while en route to Washington, D.C., a trip he undertook with the intentions of clearing his muddled name. Fast Facts: Meriwether Lewis Occupation: Explorer, Governor of Louisiana TerritoryBorn: August 18, 1774,  Albemarle County, VADied: October 11, 1809, near Nashville, TNLegacy: The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed the country through nearly 8,000 miles, helping consolidate Americas claims to the West. The explorers produced over 140 maps, collected over 200 samples of new plant and animal species, and established peaceful relations with 70 Native American tribes along the way.Famous Quote: As we passed on, it seemed as if those scenes of visionary enchantment would never have an end. Adolescent Planter Meriwether Lewis was born at Locust Hill plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia, on August 18, 1774. He was the eldest of five children born to Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether Lewis. William Lewis died of pneumonia in 1779 when Meriwether was just five years old. Within six months, Lucy Lewis married Captain John Marks and the new family left Virginia for Georgia. Life on what was then the frontier appealed to young Meriwether, who learned how to hunt and forage on long treks through the wilderness. When he was about 13 years old, he was sent back to Virginia for schooling and to learn the rudiments of running Locust Hill. By 1791, his stepfather had died and Lewis moved his twice-widowed mother and siblings home to Albemarle, where he worked to build a financially stable home for his family and over two dozen slaves. As he grew to maturity, cousin Peachy Gilmer described the young plantation owner as â€Å"formal and almost without flexibility,† determined to the point of obstinacy and filled with â€Å"self-possession and undaunted courage.† Captain Lewis Lewis seemed destined for the life of an obscure Virginia planter when he found a new path. A year after joining the local militia in 1793, he was among the 13,000 militiamen called up by President George Washington to put down the Whiskey Rebellion, an uprising of farmers and distillers in Pennsylvania protesting high taxes. Military life appealed to him, and in 1795 he joined the nascent U.S. Army as an ensign. Soon thereafter, he befriended another Virginia-born officer named William Clark.   In 1801, Captain Lewis was appointed as an aide to incoming President Thomas Jefferson. A fellow Albemarle County planter, Jefferson had known Lewis all his life and admired the younger man’s skills and intellect. Lewis served in this post for the next three years. Jefferson had long dreamt of seeing a major expedition across the American continent, and with the signing of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, he was able to win funding and support for an expedition to explore and map the new territory to find â€Å"the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce. Meriwether Lewis was a logical choice to lead the expedition. â€Å"It was impossible to find a character who to a complete science in botany, natural history, mineralogy astronomy, joined the firmness of constitution character, prudence, habits adapted to the woods a familiarity with the Indian manners and character, requisite for this undertaking,† Jefferson wrote. â€Å"All the latter qualifications Capt. Lewis has.† Lewis chose William Clark as his co-captain and they recruited the best men they could find for what promised to be an arduous multi-year trek. Lewis and Clark and their 33-man Corps of Discovery left from Camp Dubois in present-day Illinois on May 14, 1804. Map of the Northwestern United States depicts the route taken by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their first expedition from the Missouri River (near St. Louis, Missouri) to the mouth of the Columbia River (at the Pacific Ocean in Oregon), and their return trip, 1804-1806. (Photo by Stock Montage/Getty Images) Over the next two years, four months, and 10 days, the Corps of Discovery covered nearly 8,000 miles to the Pacific coast and back, arriving in St. Louis in early September 1806. Altogether, the expedition created over 140 maps, collected over 200 samples of new plant and animal species, and made contact with over 70 Native American tribes. Governor Lewis Back home in Virginia, Lewis and Clark each received about $4,500 in pay (equivalent to about $90,000 today) and 1,500 acres of land in recognition of their accomplishment. In March 1807, Lewis was appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory and Clark was appointed general of the territorial militia and Agent for Indian Affairs. They arrived in St. Louis in early 1808. In St. Louis, Lewis built a house big enough for himself, William Clark, and Clark’s new bride. As governor, he negotiated treaties with local tribes and tried to bring order to the region. However, his work was undermined by political enemies, who spread rumors that he was mismanaging the territory. Lewis also found himself deeply in debt. In carrying out his duties as governor, he accrued nearly $9,000 in debts- equivalent to $180,000 today. His creditors began to call in his debts before Congress approved his reimbursements. In early September 1809, Lewis set out for Washington, in the hopes of clearing his name and winning his money. Accompanied by his servant, John Pernier, Lewis planned to boat down the Mississippi to New Orleans and sail along the coast to Virginia. Stopped by illness at Fort Pickering, near present-day Memphis, Tennessee, he decided to make the rest of the trip overland, following a wilderness path called the Natchez Trace. On October 11, 1809, Lewis died of gunshot wounds at an isolated tavern known as Grinder’s Stand, about 70 miles southwest of Nashville.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Murder or Suicide? Word quickly spread that the 35-year-old Lewis had committed suicide as the result of depression. Back in St. Louis, William Clark wrote to Jefferson: â€Å"I fear the weight of his mind has overcome him.† But there were lingering questions over what had occurred at Grinder’s Stand on the night of October 10 and 11, with rumors that Lewis had, in fact, been murdered. Over 200 years later, researchers are still divided on how Lewis died. For decades, descendants of the explorer have sought to have his remains exhumed for examination  by forensic experts to see if they can determine if his wounds were self-inflicted or not. To date, their requests have been denied. Sources Danisi, Thomas C.  Meriwether Lewis. New York: Prometheus Books, 2009.Guice, John D.W. Jay H. Buckley. By His Own Hand?:  The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2014.Stroud, Patricia Tyson. Bitterroot:  The Life and Death of Meriwether Lewis. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018.

What Is Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What Is Philosophy - Essay Example What Is Philosophy? Philosophy has crucial areas of inquiry, which include epistemology, logic, aesthetics, metaphysics, specialized branches, and political and moral philosophy. Epistemology focuses on the scope and nature of knowledge using the relationships that exist between belief, truth and the theories of justification. Logic focuses on the doctrines of correct reasoning. In this case, logic is used in arguments where they use deductive or inductive reasoning. Metaphysics focuses on the study of the general features of reality based on time, existence and the relationships between the body, mind, properties and objects. Moral or ethical philosophy targets the best ways that humanity can live and coexist. Ethics has different branches, which include normative, applied and meta-ethics. Philosophical enquiry of aesthetics focuses on arts, beauty, enjoyment, perceptions, sensory-emotional values, sentiments and matters of taste. The specialized branches of philosophy target the philosophy of language s, mind, law, science, religion and Meta philosophy. Metaphysics Metaphysics occurs as a traditional philosophical branch that focuses on the fundamental values and nature of the world and beings. Metaphysics focuses on addressing two crucial questions, which are what is it like, and what is there? Previously, natural philosophy addressed scientific questions. However, the scientific methods slowly turned natural philosophy to an empirical activity that depended on experiments unlike other philosophical fields. This led to distinguishing of science from philosophy. (Munro 21). Later, metaphysics denoted philosophical enquiries of non-empirical characters to the natures of existence. Metaphysics centrally aims at addressing central themes and questions such as the nature of being. Additionally, metaphysics seeks to address the conceptual and empirical objects using objects and their associated properties, cosmogony and cosmology, free will and determinism, identity and change and mat ter and mind. Additionally, metaphysics addresses issues of spirituality and religion, time and space, and possibility and necessity. It is vital to note that metaphysics has different methods and styles. These include empirical methods coupled with rational methods. In this case, rationalism refers to a theory or method whereby the criteria for the truth are deductive and intellectual instead of sensory. Empiricism emphasizes on the fact that senses serves as the main sources of knowledge concerning the world and universe. In addition to these methods and styles, other styles exist such as systemic versus analytical, dogmatic versus critical, individual versus collective and parsimonious versus adequate. The systemic approach focuses on answering all crucial questions in a coherent and comprehensive manner, and the analytical approach deals with the problems in a piecemeal fashion. Crucial Meta physicists who used the different styles and methods of metaphysics include Plato and So crates, Aristotle and Immanuel Kant among others (Munro 31). Epistemology Epistemology focuses on the scope and nature of knowledg

Images of Women in Religion - Christian Gnosticism and Buddhism Essay

Images of Women in Religion - Christian Gnosticism and Buddhism - Essay Example The absence of feminine symbolism in modern religious tradition is consistent with an orthodox stance specifically inclined to resist social and political transformations that took place in the second century and resulted in increased prominence of women in all activities of daily life, including religion. Karen Lang builds from the primordial belief that divinity knows no physical boundaries, including gender: â€Å"The early Buddhist and Christian Gnostic assumption that beings once were luminous, incorporeal, and asexual, and that this state of perfection can be regained, motivates their quest for enlightenment†. Buddhism and Gnosticism share the view that humanity’s fall from divine grace springs from earthly desires, such as lust. Women, historically linked with seduction and sexuality, were therefore viewed in Buddhist and Gnostic myths as impure. Female fertility paralleled the earth’s fruitfulness, â€Å"†¦ for they associate the enjoyment of a woman’s sexuality with tasting the earth, or its fruits†. Human imperfection was described through the impurities of women’s bodies, but this was not exclusively meant for women since both religions believed that all human bodies were impure and therefore imperfect. In both cases, owing to a pre eminently egalitarian message with prospects for study, teaching and prominent leadership positions in the community, women were attracted to Buddhist and Gnostic communities. Lang aims to clarify that religious tradition did not always discriminate against women.

Philadelphia :: essays research papers

This movie caused a lot of hoopla when it was released back in ’93, for it was the first Hollywood studio movie to fully tackle the subject of AIDS. Now, I don’t want to take anything away from the film, because it is still quite entertaining, but it certainly doesn’t come off as a groundbreaking film anymore. Even back when it was released, I personally didn’t think it was that big of a deal because by that time we’d already seen the subject matter covered for years, in news reports, documentaries and independent films; so when PHILADELPHIA finally came along, it seemed like it was just a little overdue†¦ What the film does succeed in doing is taking a deep look at a new kind of discrimination that grew as AIDS became more prevalent in the minds of the general public and how some people’s hatred towards gays got even more fueled as this new disease became a harsh and frightening reality in the world. I was a bit surprised to see the qu ote â€Å"An emotional powerhouse!† on the back cover of the DVD because as it does have its share of emotional scenes, they’re far from overwhelming and it isn’t likely that that is what you’ll take away from it in the end. The most memorable, powerful scenes, in fact, are those awkward moments that are examined as we see how people around Andrew react upon learning of his illness – the most famous ones being Washington’s reaction to Hanks in his office and the confrontation in the public library between Hanks and an employee there. Demme also does an admirable job in making the City of Brotherly Love a real presence in the movie. The opening credit sequence is a beautiful montage of all the great sights of the city and its people, giving us a real sense of the metropolis. From the rich neighborhoods to the slums, from the working class to the homeless sleeping on the streets – it all plays wonderfully as we witness many of them waving to the camera, all from different backgrounds, cultures and races, and all very proud to be Philadelphians. To me, it’s one of the best opening credit sequences in recent memory. Bruce Springsteen’s â€Å"Streets of Philadelphia† plays over it all and it’s still as emotionally involving as it was back when it was ruling the airwaves in ‘93.

Youth Suicide

ARTICLE IN PRESS Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Adolescence journal homepage: www. elsevier. com/locate/jado Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building Gloria W. Y. Wan a, Patrick W. L. Leung b, * a b Clinical Psychology Service, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, 5/F, Holy Trinity Bradury Center, 139 Ma Tau Chung Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China 3/F, Sino Building, Clinical and Health Psychology Centre, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China b s t r a c t Keywords: Suicide ideation/attempt Family Psychopathology Life events/stressors Chinese youths This study aimed at proposing and testing a conceptual model of youth suicide attempt. We proposed a model that began with family factors such as a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation. Family relationship, presence of psychopathology, life stressors, and suicid e ideation were postulated as mediators, leading to youth suicide attempt. The stepwise entry of the risk factors to a logistic regression model de? ned their proximity as related to suicide attempt. Path analysis further re? ned our proposed model of youth suicide attempt. Our originally proposed model was largely con? rmed. The main revision was dropping parental divorce/separation as a risk factor in the model due to lack of signi? cant contribution when examined alongside with other risk factors. This model was cross-validated by gender. This study moved research on youth suicide from identi? cation of individual risk factors to model building, integrating separate ? ndings of the past studies. O 2009 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Youth suicide, being one of the three leading causes of death in young people, has been a focus of research. Various individual risk factors have been identi? ed (Gould, Greenberg, Velting, & Shaffer, 2003). Despite this success, not until recently are there attempts to develop complex theory-based models that draw together all those identi? ed risk factors and depict their interplay (Bridge, Goldstein, & Brent, 2006; Mann, Waternaux, Haas, & Malone, 1999). Correspondingly, empirical studies in this area are few (e. g. Foley, Goldston, Costello, & Angold, 2006; Fortune, Stewart, Yadav, & Hawton, 2007; Prinstein et al. , 2008; Reinherz, Tanner, Berger, Beardslee, & Fitzmaurice, 2006). Hence, we propose here a model of youth suicide attempt and test it in a sample of Chinese high school students. We aim at articulating and testing hypothetical pathways between family factors, psychopathology, life stressors, and suicidal beha vior. Our model begins with consideration of family risk factors, including a history of physical abuse within the family, poor family relationship, and parental divorce/separation (Johnson et al. 2002; Gould, Fisher, Parides, Flory, & Shaffer, 1996; Gould, Shaffer, Prudence, & Robin, 1998; Liu, Sun, & Yang, 2008; Salzinger, Rosario, Feldman, & Ng-Mak, 2007). However, the latter’s association with youth suicidal behavior is no longer signi? cant or attenuated after controlled for parent-child or family relationship (Groholt, Ekeberg, Wichstrom, & Haldorsen, 2000). Family adversities are also known precursors of youth psychopathology (Fergusson, Woodward, & Horwood, 2000). The latter in turn is found to be a risk factor of suicidal behavior * Corresponding author. Tel. : ? 852 2609 6502; fax: ? 852 2603 5019. E-mail address: [email  protected] edu. hk (P. W. L. Leung). 0140-1971/$ – see front matter O 2009 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 007 Please cite this article in press as: Wan, G. W. Y. , Leung, P. W. L. , Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building, Journal of Adolescence (2010), doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 007 ARTICLE IN PRESS 2 G. W. Y. Wan, P. W. L. Leung / Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 (Brent, Baugher, Bridge, Chen, & Chiappetta, 1999; Osvath, Voros, & Fekete, 2004). A wide range of psychopathology has been implicated, including internalizing/externalizing disorders, and substance use disorders (Brent et al. , 2004; Foley et al. , 2006; Gould et al. , 2003; Lee et al. , 2009; Shaffer et al. , 1996; Stewart et al. , 2006). Furthermore, the risk of suicidal behavior increases with the number of comorbid disorders and with the combination of mood, disruptive and substance abuse disorders (Brent et al. , 1999; Shaffer et al. , 1996). Suicide ideation is among the best predictors of suicide attempt (Prinstein et al. , 2008; Wong et al. , 2008). Studies also suggest that the occurrence of life stressors may prompt suicide ideators into acting on their ideation, ending up in attempted suicide (Borges et al. , 2008; Liu & Tein, 2005). Based upon the above review, our model on youth suicide attempt starts with family risk factors such as a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation. We postulate that poor family relationship, psychopathology, life stressors, and suicide ideation act as mediators, leading to suicide attempt. Speci? cally, we hypothesize that a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation are associated with poor family relationship. The latter is in turn related to the occurrence of psychopathology in youths. Comorbid internalizing and externalizing disorders then play a crucial role as risk factors to recent life stressors and suicide ideation. Finally, the latter two are risk factors directly linked to suicide attempt. Method Participants and procedure A total of 2754 grade 7–11 Chinese high school students were recruited to participate voluntarily in the study. They were randomly sampled from 15 mainstream high schools of diversi? ed academic rankings from different regions of Hong Kong. The participating schools represented a convenience sample, since they were schools served by the School Counselling Service of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, at which the ? rst author of this study worked. However, the participating schools covered a full range of academic rankings and a wide geographic spread across Hong Kong, and no speci? c bias in their sampling was noted. Thus, they were considered to be representative of local mainstream schools. Special schools of various kinds were excluded. Ethics approval was ? rst obtained from the relevant institutional authority. School visits were then made to explain the objectives of the study. A total of 15 schools were contacted and all of them (100%) agreed to participate in the study. Informed written consents were obtained from parents of the randomly sampled students. The response rate was 94. 4%. The participants completed the self-report questionnaires during school hours. The returned questionnaires were screened for severe psychopathology and suicidal behavior. For ethical reasons, the corresponding school counselors would be alerted for such cases in order to take appropriate actions. Measures Psychopathology The 1991 version of Youth Self-Report (YSR) was re-validated with satisfactory test–retest reliability and criterion validity for use with Hong Kong Chinese youths (Leung et al. , 2006). It evaluated the occurrence of psychopathology in the past 6 months. Since two items in YSR referred to suicidal/self harm behavior and they thus contaminated the relationship under investigation between psychopathology and suicidal behavior, the two items were removed in this study from the construct of internalizing problems as assessed by YSR. Youth suicide ideation/attempt Self-report measures of suicide ideation/attempt had been found to be reliable primary data sources (Joiner, Rudd, & Rajab, 1999; Miranda et al. , 2008). Two measures were used to assess suicide ideation/attempt in this study. First, YSR had two items that referred to suicide ideation and attempt, respectively. However, a single-item measure for a variable was considered undesirable. Hence, two short self-report questionnaires for suicide ideation and attempt were extracted respectively from an existing, longer questionnaire used in a previous local study which asked the occurrences and details of suicide ideation, communication, plan, and attempt (Ho, Leung, Hung, Lee, & Tang, 2000). This questionnaire was found useful in assessing the suicidal behavior of peers of suicide completers and attempters. Depending on whether a youth had consistently indicated suicide ideation and/or attempt both in the adapted questionnaires and with the corresponding item in YSR, he/she would be considered ategorically in this study as a suicide ideator and/or attempter, or not. Recent life stressors The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS; Holmes & Rahe, 1967) asked 30 stressful life events which might happen to the young people and their families in the preceding 12 months. In this study, items in the SRRS related to parental con? ict and divorce/separation were excluded, since these family events were separately examined elsewhere as family risk factors in our model. Items irrelevant to local young adolescents were also excluded (e. g. accepted at a college of your choice). Family relationship In this study, the Family Relationship Index (FRI), a composite of three subscales (i. e. , cohesion, expressiveness, and con? ict) of the Family Environment Scale (FES; Moos & Moos, 1986), was used as a measure of family relationship. The FRI had Please cite this article in press as: Wan, G. W. Y. , Leung, P. W. L. , Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building, Journal of Adolescence (2010), doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 007 ARTICLE IN PRESS G. W. Y. Wan, P. W. L. Leung / Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 3 been found to correlate well with other measures of family dysfunction (Hoge, Andrews, Faulkner, & Robinson, 1989) and was widely used in research with Chinese youths (Locke & Prinz, 2002). Parents’ marital status The current marital status of the participants’ parents was enquired with reference to divorce/separation. History of physical abuse Participants were asked to report if they had experienced any physical abuse in the family since childhood. Three items were adapted from Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) (Bernstein et al. 1994) and two additional ones that were relevant to the local Chinese context were speci? cally written for this study, e. g. , ‘‘People in my family had applied corporal punishment to me’’ and ‘‘After I was being physically punished, I had to go to see a doctor or could not go to school’’. Data analysis First, a series of logistic reg ression analysis would be conducted to explore the signi? cance of each individual risk factor separately in predicting suicide ideation and attempt. Except for parental divorce/separation, other risk factors were measured in this study in dimensional scales. They were turned into ategorical data in this logistic regression analysis using distributional cutoffs to de? ne relative deviance (see Table 1 for the exact de? nitions of cutoffs). Second, we tested our proposed model of youth suicide attempt, using hierarchical regression ? rst. The series of predictors would be entered in steps according to their positions in relation to suicide attempt in our proposed model. The risk factors of a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation would ? rst be forced into the regression equation, after controlling for effects of the background variables (including age, gender, and family income). Family relationship would then be entered into the equation in the second step. The third batch of predictors would be internalizing and externalizing problems. They were followed in turn by suicide ideation and life stressors. We hypothesized a partial or complete mediational model in which the effects of factors entered ? rst would be attenuated or superseded by those of the subsequent factors in predicting youth suicide attempt. Lastly, path analysis would be conducted to directly test our proposed model of youth suicide attempt, using Lisrel 8. 71. Path analysis has its strengths in examining the chains of in? uences between independent variables, and in postulating the possible cause-and-effect relations among variables for further investigation. An ordinary sample covariance matrix for path analysis would not be appropriate to deal with the dichotomous data of suicidal behavior and parental divorce/separation, as well as the kurtosis and skewness within the other dimensional data. Instead, an asymptotic covariance matrix should be used, analysis of which would require the use of an estimator that allowed for non-normality. The weighted least squares (WLS) method, instead of the maximum likelihood estimator, had provision for such non-normality and was thus the appropriate estimator to be used in this study. Results The mean age of the 2754 participants was 13. 9 years (SD ? 1. 3, range ? 11–18). Among the participants, 55. 7% was male. There were missing data on suicidal behavior from 39 participants. Among the remaining 2715 participants, 252 participants (9. 2%) reported suicide ideation in the past 6 months. Among the 91 (3. 3%) reporting suicide attempt in the same period, only six (6. %) did not report suicide ideation. By gender, among the 1219 female participants, 167 (13. 7%) reported suicide ideation, while only two (3. 0%) of 66 (5. 4%) female suicide attempters did not report suicide ideation. The corresponding ? gures for male participants (1535) were 85 (5. 5%), four (16. 0%), and 25 (1. 6%). Table 1 Percentages of suicide ideators, attempters, and non-suicidal controls, association with various risk factors, and odds ratios (ORs) for predicting suicide ideation and attempt. Variables Cronbach’s Alpha Ideators (n ? 52) n Parents divorced/separated History of physical abusea Poor family relationshipb Internalizing problemsc Externalizing problemsc Frequent recent life stressorsd – 0. 83 0. 83 0. 89 0. 88 – 41 73 142 76 99 102 % 16. 3 29. 0 56. 3 30. 2 39. 3 40. 5 Attempters (n ? 91) n 19 29 51 32 45 44 % 20. 9 31. 9 56. 0 35. 2 49. 5 48. 4 Non-suicidal controls (n ? 2457) n 239 169 602 103 153 364 % 9. 7 6. 9 24. 5 4. 2 6. 2 14. 8 Ideators vs controls OR 1. 8** 5. 8*** 3. 8*** 13. 9*** 9. 8*** 3. 6*** (95% CI) (1. 2–2. 6) (4. 2–8. 1) (2. 9–5. 1) (9. 6–20. 1) (7. 1–13. 4) (2. 7–4. 8) Attempters vs controls OR 2. 3** 5. *** 3. 7*** 10. 7*** 11. 1*** 5. 2*** (95% CI) (1. 3–4. 0) (3. 3–8. 6) (2. 4–5. 7) (6. 6–17. 5) (7. 1–17. 5) (3. 4–8. 1) **p < 0. 01; ***p < 0 . 001. a Cutoff at total score > ? 6 (80th percentile). b Cutoff at total score > ? 15 (80th percentile). c Cutoff at T-score > ? 64 (at clinical range, 92nd percentile). d Cutoff at number of recent life stressors > ? 4 (80th percentile). Please cite this article in press as: Wan, G. W. Y. , Leung, P. W. L. , Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building, Journal of Adolescence (2010), doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 07 ARTICLE IN PRESS 4 G. W. Y. Wan, P. W. L. Leung / Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 Table 1 presents the internal consistency coef? cients of the measures employed in this study. They were consistently satisfactory, ranging from 0. 83 to 0. 89. Table 1 also lists the results of separate logistic regression analysis of each risk factor, including the percentages of suicide ideators, attempters, and non-suicidal participants (i. e. , those reporting neither suicide ideation nor attempt) having various risks, as well as t he odds ratios (ORs) of these risk factors in predicting suicide ideation and attempt. Despite multiple testing of the group differences, such testing was all theory-driven (see the literature review above) and was not random so that statistical control of the effects of multiple testing was not required. All three family risk factors (i. e. , parental divorce/separation, history of physical abuse, and poor family relationship) were more prevalent among suicide ideators and attempters, and had signi? cant ORs. Among these risk factors, a history of physical abuse was the best predictor of suicide ideation (OR ? 5. 8, 95% CI ? 4. 2–8. 1) and attempt (OR ? 5. 3, 95% CI ? 3. 3–8. 6). Nearly one third of ideators (29. 0%) and attempters (31. 9%), in contrast to 6. 9% of non-suicidal participants, had a history of being physically abused. With respect to the other two family risk factors, 16. 3% of ideators (OR ? 1. 8, 95% CI ? 1. 2–2. 6) and 20. 9% of attemptors (OR ? 2. 3, 95% CI ? 1. 3–4. 0), compared to 9. 7% of non-suicidal participants, reported parental divorce/separation, while 56. 3% of ideators (OR ? 3. 8, 95% CI ? 2. 9–5. 1) and 56. 0% of attemptors (OR ? 3. 7, 95% CI ? 2. 4–5. 7), compared to 24. 5% of nonsuicidal participants, reported poor family relationship. Compared to family factors, internalizing and externalizing problems were even more associated with higher risks of suicidal behaviors. The ORs of internalizing problems for suicide ideation and attempt were respectively 13. 9 (95% CI ? 9. 6– 20. 1) and 10. 7 (95% CI ? 6. 6–17. 5), while the ORs of externalizing problems were 9. 8 (95% CI ? 7. 1–13. 4) and 11. 1 (95% CI ? 7. 1–17. 5). Nearly one third of ideators (30. 2%) and attempters (35. 2%), in contrast to 4. 2% of non-suicidal participants, had internalizing problems. The corresponding ? gures for externalizing problems were 39. 3% and 49. 5% vs 6. %. Life stressors in the past year also elevated the risk of suicide ideation (OR ? 3. 6, 95% CI ? 2. 7–4. 8) and attempt (OR ? 5. 2, 95% CI ? 3. 4–8. 1). About 40. 5% of suicide ideators and 48. 4% of attempters were reporting more frequent life stressors, compared to 14. 8% of non-suicidal participants. Table 2 shows the results of logistic regression analysis with forced entry of subsets of risk factors in steps, after controlling for background variables (i. e. , age, gender, and family income). With each successive entry of each subset of risk factors, the majority of the previous ones became insigni? ant so that in the ? nal regression model, only recent life stressors (OR ? 1. 01, p < 0. 01) and suicide ideation (OR ? 95. 7, p < 0. 001) signi? cantly accounted for youth suicide attempt. In other words, despite their initial statistical signi? cance when ? rst entered into the regression model, those risk factors such as a history of physical abuse, poor family relationship, and internalizing and externalizing disorders no longer signi? cantly accounted for youth suicide attempt, after life stressors and suicide ideation were later entered into the model. This pattern of results indicated a mediational model largely compatible to our proposed model of youth suicide attempt. It should be noted that parental divorce/separation as a predictor was not signi? cant even when ? rst entered into the regression analysis alongside with a history of physical abuse. This risk factor was thus dropped in the later path analysis. Our proposed model of youth suicide attempt, in a form of a mediational model, was directly tested by path analysis. It achieved a very good ? t: c2 (6, N ? 2754) ? 39. 5, p < 0. 0001; GFI ? 0. 99; AGFI ? 0. 97; RMSEA ? 0. 045; NFI ? 0. 96; CFI ? . 97; RMR ? 0. 57 (Fig. 1). Weighted least squares standardized estimators of the model and their signi? cance according to the two-tailed z value are presented in Fig. 1. All paths shown were signi? cant at p < 0. 01. As shown in Fig. 1, a history of physical abuse, as a family risk factor, was linked directly to suicide ideation, as well as to the ? rst tier of mediators in the m odel, namely, poor family relationship, and externalizing and internalizing problems. They were in turn linked to suicide ideation. The externalizing and internalizing problems were additionally linked to recent life stressors. Finally, suicidal ideation and life stressors were both associated with suicide attempt, with life stressors also linking to the suicide ideation as well. This mediational model with several tiers of mediators explained 48% and 87% of the variances in youth suicide ideation and attempt, respectively. Table 2 Logistic regression of risk factors in predicting youth suicide attempt, controlled for demographic variables. Blocks entered to the modela Deviance between blocks (c2)b 18. 37*** 1. 02*** n. s. 55. 59*** 72. 71*** 1. 02** n. s. 1. 17*** 1. 01* n. s. 1. 07** 1. 07*** 1. 09*** 168. 80*** 10. 5*** 1. 02* n. s. n. s. n. s. n. s. n. s. n. s. 95. 67*** 1. 01** ORs 1 2 3 4 5 1. Family factors History of physical abuse Parental divorce/separation 2. Poor family relationship 3. Psychopathology Internalizing problems Externalizing problems 4. Suicide ideation 5. Life stressors n. s. n. s. 103. 72*** n. s. : non-signi? cant. *p < 0. 05; **p < 0. 01; ***p < 0. 001. a The sequence of blocks entered into the logistic regression model; all factors entered were continuous variables except parental divorce/separation and suicide ideation. b Chi-square deviance of each block entered. Please cite this article in press as: Wan, G. W. Y. , Leung, P. W. L. , Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building, Journal of Adolescence (2010), doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 007 ARTICLE IN PRESS G. W. Y. Wan, P. W. L. Leung / Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 5 0. 85*** 0. 52*** 0. 13*** 1. 00*** History of physical abuse 0. 39*** Poor family relationship 0. 19*** 0. 13*** Suicide ideation 0. 20*** 0. 15*** 0. 88*** Suicide attempt 0. 21*** 0. 17*** 0. 44*** 0. 79*** 0. 13*** 0. 33*** Externalizing problems 0. 42*** 0. 29*** Recent stressors 0. 82*** *p