Adolescent suicidal trajectories through young adulthood: prospective assessment of religiosity and psychosocial factors among a population-based sample in the United States

Abstract

The main objective was to identify distinct patterns of suicidal behaviors over the life course from adolescence to young adulthood and to determine influences of religiosity and other contextual factors on subgroup membership. Semiparametric growth mixture models were used to identify distinct clusters of suicide ideation and suicide attempt trajectories, and generalized estimating equations were used to assess individual and contextual characteristics predicting suicidal behaviors in adolescence and in young adulthood. Distinct trajectories of suicide ideation and suicide attempt were identified for the total sample and for the gender groups. Results showed marked gender differences in the trajectory of suicide ideation and attempt patterns. Religiosity effects on suicidality were prominent in adolescence but not in young adulthood. Analysis showed that an important window of opportunity for preventing the escalation of suicidality exists during the early adolescent period, an opportunity that should be emphasized in interventions on adolescence suicide prevention.

Figure 1

Model predicted suicidal ideation trajectories from adolescence to early and emerging adulthood with survey weights included for adjustment. Numbered lines represent the predicted trajectories. Respective mean ages of respondents at different waves of data collection were as follows: Wave I (15.3,SD=1.6), Wave II (16.2, SD=1.6), Wave III (21.6, SD=1.6), Wave IV (28.1, SD=1.6)

Figure 2

Model predicted suicide attempt trajectories from adolescence to early and emerging adulthood with survey weights included for adjustment. Numbered lines represent the predicted trajectories. Respective mean ages of respondents at different waves of data collection were as follows: Wave I (15.3, SD=1.6), Wave II (16.2, SD=1.6), Wave III (21.6, SD=1.6), Wave IV (28.1, SD=1.6)

Figure 3

Model predicted suicide ideation trajectories for males from adolescence to early and emerging adulthood with survey weights included for adjustment. Numbered lines represent the predicted group trajectories. Respective mean ages of respondents at different waves of data collection were as follows: Wave I (15.3, SD=1.6), Wave II (16.2, SD=1.6), Wave III (21.6, SD=1.6), Wave IV (28.1, SD=1.6)

Figure 4

Model predicted suicide ideation trajectories for females from adolescence to early and emerging adulthood with survey weights included for adjustment. Numbered lines represent the predicted group trajectories. Respective mean ages of respondents at different waves of data collection were as follows: Wave I (15.3, SD=1.6), Wave II (16.2, SD=1.6), Wave III (21.6, SD=1.6), Wave IV (28.1, SD=1.6)

Figure 5

Model predicted suicide attempt trajectories for males from adolescence to early and emerging adulthood with survey weights included for adjustment. Numbered lines represent the predicted group trajectories. Respective mean ages of respondents at different waves of data collection were as follows: Wave I (15.3, SD=1.6), Wave II (16.2, SD=1.6), Wave III (21.6, SD=1.6), Wave IV (28.1, SD=1.6)

Figure 6

Model predicted suicide attempt trajectories for females from adolescence to adulthood with survey weights included for adjustment. The numbered line represents the predicted group trajectories. Respective mean ages of respondents at different waves of data collection were as follows: Wave I (15.3, SD=1.6), Wave II (16.2, SD=1.6), Wave III (21.6, SD=1.6), Wave IV (28.1, SD=1.6)