Characteristics of suicidal ideation that predict the transition to future suicide attempts in adolescents. (15th May 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Miranda, Regina; Ortin, Ana; Scott, Michelle; Shaffer, David
• Is Part Of: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry and allied disciplines. Volume 55:Number 11(2014:Nov.)
• Page Start: 1288
• Page End: 1296
• Publication Date: 2014-05-15
• Subjects: Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child psychiatry -- Periodicals; 155.4
• DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12245
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9630

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jcpp12245-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="jcpp12245-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>The present study sought to examine characteristics of suicidal ideation (SI) that predict a future suicide attempt (SA), beyond psychiatric diagnosis and previous SA history.</p> </sec> <sec id="jcpp12245-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>Participants were 506 adolescents (307 female) who completed the Columbia Suicide Screen (CSS) and selected modules from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (C‐DISC 2.3) as part of a two‐stage high school screening and who were followed up 4–6 years later to assess for a SA since baseline. At baseline, participants who endorsed SI on the CSS responded to four questions regarding currency, frequency, seriousness, and duration of their SI. A subsample of 122 adolescents who endorsed SI at baseline also completed a detailed interview about their most recent SI.</p> </sec> <sec id="jcpp12245-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Thinking about suicide <italic>often</italic> (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.7–7.2), <italic>seriously</italic> (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.4–6.7), and for a <italic>long time</italic> (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.1–5.2) were associated with a future SA, adjusting for sex, the presence of a mood, anxiety, and substance use diagnosis, and baseline SA history. However, only SI frequency was significantly associated with higher odds of a future SA (OR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.4–9.1) when also adjusting for currency, seriousness, and duration. Among ideators interviewed further about their most recent SI, ideating 1 hr or more (vs. less than 1 hr) was associated with a future SA (OR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.0–12.7), adjusting for sex, depressive symptoms, previous SA history, and other baseline SI characteristics, and it was also associated with making a future SA earlier.</p> </sec> <sec id="jcpp12245-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Assessments of SI in adolescents should take special care to inquire about frequency of their SI, along with length of their most recent SI.</p> </sec> </abstract>