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. 2020 Jun:125:129-135.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.03.008. Epub 2020 Mar 18.

Psychosocial risk factors and outcomes associated with suicide attempts in childhood: A retrospective study

Liat Itzhaky  1 , Ilana Gratch  1 , Hanga Galfalvy  1 , John G Keilp  1 , Ainsley K Burke  1 , Maria A Oquendo  2 , J John Mann  1 , Barbara H Stanley  3
Affiliations

Psychosocial risk factors and outcomes associated with suicide attempts in childhood: A retrospective study

Liat Itzhaky et al. J Psychiatr Res. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To examine factors differentiating individuals whose first suicide attempt was during childhood (ages 5-12 yrs) from those who first attempted suicide during adolescence (13-19 yrs) and during adulthood (≥20 yrs).

Method: A sample of 418 participants (ages 18-64 yrs) with a mood disorder and ≥1 lifetime suicide attempt was divided into three groups according to age of first suicide attempt (childhood: N = 43, adolescent: N = 149, adulthood: N = 226) and compared on demographics, childhood adversity, parental psychopathology, comorbid lifetime axis I diagnoses, self-harm and characteristics of first attempt.

Results: Participants in the Childhood Attempt group were more likely to report childhood adversity, parental alcohol use disorder and subsequent suicide attempts than the two other groups. They were also more likely to have a depressed mother, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) during childhood and adolescence, lifetime PTSD and aggressive behavior than the Adulthood Attempt group. The Adolescent Attempt group had more childhood adversity, parental suicidal behavior, lifetime PTSD and NSSI during adolescence than the Adulthood Attempt group. The groups differed on methods of first attempt, and its lethality was related to age of attempt.

Conclusions: Early adversity and parental psychopathology are particularly prominent in those who make childhood suicide attempts, suggesting that this group may represent a suicidal behavior subtype.

Keywords: Mid childhood; Mood disorder; Non-suicidal self-injury; Stress; Suicide attempt.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest This work was supported by the NIMH#P50 MH090964 (PI: Mann) and NIMH#R01 MH109326 (PIs: Stanley and Oquendo) and NIMH#R01 MH062665 (PI: Stanley). Disclosure: Drs Burke, Mann, Oquendo, and Stanley receive royalties for commercial use of the C-SSRS from the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. Dr. Oquendo's family owns stock in Bristol Myers Squibb. No other author conflicts to disclose.

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