Suicidal children grow up: demographic and clinical risk factors for adolescent suicide attempts

• Published in: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Vol. 30; no. 4; p. 609
• Main Authors: Pfeffer, C R, Klerman, G L, Hurt, S W, Lesser, M, Peskin, J R, Siefker, C A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.1991
• Subjects: Adolescent; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Incidence; Male; New York - epidemiology; Personality Development; Risk Factors; Suicide, Attempted - prevention & control; Suicide, Attempted - psychology; Suicide, Attempted - statistics & numerical data; Survival Analysis; New York
• ISSN: 0890-8567; 1527-5418
• DOI: 10.1097/00004583-199107000-00013

This longitudinal study reports rates and demographic and clinical risk factors for adolescent suicide attempts during a 6- to 8-year follow-up period of an initial sample of 106 preadolescent and young adolescent psychiatric inpatients and 101 preadolescent and young adolescent nonpatients. Survival analysis was used to evaluate risk for a first suicide attempt in the follow-up period for 133 subjects who were interviewed. No deaths occurred. Suicidal inpatients, compared with nonpatients, had earlier first suicide attempts in the follow-up period. Adolescents who attempted suicide in the follow-up period were seven times more likely to have a mood disorder during the follow-up period than those who did not attempt suicide. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.