Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2010 Jul;197(1):20-7.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.109.074716.

Childhood adversities as risk factors for onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour

Ronny Bruffaerts  1 , Koen Demyttenaere, Guilherme Borges, Josep Maria Haro, Wai Tat Chiu, Irving Hwang, Elie G Karam, Ronald C Kessler, Nancy Sampson, Jordi Alonso, Laura Helena Andrade, Matthias Angermeyer, Corina Benjet, Evelyn Bromet, Giovanni de Girolamo, Ron de Graaf, Silvia Florescu, Oye Gureje, Itsuko Horiguchi, Chiyi Hu, Viviane Kovess, Daphna Levinson, Jose Posada-Villa, Rajesh Sagar, Kate Scott, Adley Tsang, Svetlozar M Vassilev, David R Williams, Matthew K Nock
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Childhood adversities as risk factors for onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour

Ronny Bruffaerts et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2010 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, but the precise effect of childhood adversities as risk factors for the onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour (suicide ideation, plans and attempts) are not well understood.

Aims: To examine the associations between childhood adversities as risk factors for the onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour across 21 countries worldwide.

Method: Respondents from nationally representative samples (n = 55 299) were interviewed regarding childhood adversities that occurred before the age of 18 years and lifetime suicidal behaviour.

Results: Childhood adversities were associated with an increased risk of suicide attempt and ideation in both bivariate and multivariate models (odds ratio range 1.2-5.7). The risk increased with the number of adversities experienced, but at a decreasing rate. Sexual and physical abuse were consistently the strongest risk factors for both the onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour, especially during adolescence. Associations remained similar after additional adjustment for respondents' lifetime mental disorder status.

Conclusions: Childhood adversities (especially intrusive or aggressive adversities) are powerful predictors of the onset and persistence of suicidal behaviours.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Nock MK, Borges G, Bromet EJ, Alonso J, Angermeyer M, Beautrais A, et al. Cross-national prevalence and risk factors for suicidal ideation, plans and attempts. Br J Psychiatry 2008; 192: 98–105. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nock MK, Borges G, Bromet EJ, Cha CB, Kessler RC, Lee S. Suicide and suicidal behaviour. Epidemiol Rev 2008; 30: 133–54. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kessler RC, Borges G, Walters EE. Prevalence of and risk factors for lifetime suicide attempts in the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1999; 56: 617–27. - PubMed
    1. McHolm AE, MacMillan HL, Jamieson E. The relationship between childhood physical abuse and suicidality among depressed women: results from a community sample. Am J Psychiatry 2003; 160: 933–8. - PubMed
    1. Borges G, Angst J, Nock MK, Ruscio AM, Kessler RC. Risk factors for the incidence and persistence of suicide-related outcomes: a 10-year follow-up study using the National Comorbidity Surveys. J Affect Disord 2008; 105: 25–33. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types