Original Articles
Risk Factors for Serious Suicide Attempts among Youths Aged 13 through 24 Years

https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199609000-00015Get rights and content

ABSTRACT

Objective

To examine associations between a series of sociodemographic factors, childhood experiences, and mental disorders and risk of serious suicide attempt in young people aged 13 through 24 years and to explore the joint relationship between these factors and vulnerability to serious suicide attempt.

Method

The study used a case-control design in which a sample of 129 young people who had made serious suicide attempts was contrasted with 153 randomly selected community controls. Measures included sociodemographic factors (educational qualifications, annual income, residential mobility), childhood experiences (parental relationship, parental care, childhood sexual abuse), and psychiatric morbidity.

Results

On the basis of multiple logistic regression, those making serious suicide attempts reported elevated rates of sociodemographic disadvantage (p < .0001), higher rates of disadvantageous childhood experiences (p < .05), and elevated rates of psychiatric morbidity (p < .0001).

Conclusions

Risks of serious suicide attempt among young people increased with extent of exposure to childhood adversity, social disadvantage, and psychiatric morbidity, with each of these factors making independent contributions to risk of serious suicide attempt.

REFERENCES (33)

  • EF Dubow et al.

    Correlates of suicidal ideation and attempts in a community sample of junior high and high school students

    J Clin Child Psychol

    (1989)
  • JL Fleiss

    Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportions

    (1981)
  • RC Fowler et al.

    San Diego Suicide Study. II. Substance abuse in young cases

    Arch Gen Psychiatry

    (1986)
  • BD Garfinkel et al.

    Suicide attempts in children and adolescents

    Am J Psychiatry

    (1982)
  • AF Garland et al.

    Adolescent suicide prevention: current research and social policy implications

    Am Psychol

    (1993)
  • N Garnefski et al.

    A population-based survey of the characteristics of high school students with and without a history of suicidal behaviour

    Acta Psychiatr Scand

    (1992)
  • Cited by (282)

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text