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. 2024 Aug 2:15:1427560.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1427560. eCollection 2024.

Suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents: prevalence, risk factors, and partial mediation by family support, a cross-sectional study

Xiyan Bao #  1 , Tianming Guo #  2 , Li Xu  3   4 , Wanming Chen  3   4 , Lingshu Luan  2   3 , Haidong Yang  3   5 , Xiaobin Zhang  5
Affiliations

Suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents: prevalence, risk factors, and partial mediation by family support, a cross-sectional study

Xiyan Bao et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Suicidal ideation is a pressing public health concern, particularly among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents, addressing an important gap in current research.

Methods: This study employed an online survey of 3443 adolescents in Lianyungang, using a cross-sectional design. The assessment included the use of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder instrument, and the Perceived Social Support Scale to evaluate suicidal ideation, anxiety symptoms, and social support in adolescents, respectively.

Results: In adolescents, the prevalence of suicidal ideation was 22.1%, with a significantly higher proportion among female adolescents than among males (27.9% vs 16.9%, P < 0.001). Binary regression analysis identified (OR = 1.788, 95% CI: 1.467-2.177, P < 0.001), anxiety symptoms (OR = 10.035, 95% CI: 7.441-13.534, P < 0.001), total PHQ-9 scores of mothers (OR = 1.040, 95%CI: 1.003 - 1.078, P = 0.034), total GAD-7 scores of mothers (OR = 0.958, 95%CI: 0.919 - 0.998, P = 0.039), and moderate parental relationships (OR = 2.042, 95% CI: 1.630-2.557, P < 0.001) to be risk factors for suicidal ideation; family support was a protective factor (OR = 0.888, 95% CI: 0.859-0.918, P < 0.001). Furthermore, family support partially mediates the relationship between anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation among adolescents (9.28%).

Conclusions: This study highlights high adolescent suicidal ideation rates and recommends gender-specific interventions, anxiety management, and family support for improvement in mental health status.

Keywords: GAD-7; PSSS; adolescents; mediator; suicidal ideation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer FZ declared a shared affiliation with the author HY to the handling editor at the time of review.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of this study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The model showing family support mediating the relationship between anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation in adolescents. *P < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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