The Prevalence and Psychosocial Correlates of Suicide Attempts Among Inpatient Adolescent Offspring of Croatian PTSD Male War Veterans

• Published in: Child psychiatry and human development Vol. 45; no. 5; pp. 577 - 587
• Main Authors: Boričević Maršanić, Vlatka, Margetić, Branka Aukst, Zečević, Iva, Herceg, Miroslav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.10.2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child of Impaired Parents - psychology; Control Groups; Croatia; Family environment. Family history; Family Relations; Female; Humans; Inpatient care; Inpatients - psychology; Male; Medical sciences; Original Article; Parent-Child Relations; Parenting - psychology; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Prevalence; Psychiatry; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Social psychology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Suicide; Suicide, Attempted - psychology; Suicide, Attempted - statistics & numerical data; Suicides & suicide attempts; Veterans; Veterans - psychology; Croatia; Suicide attempts; Combat-related PTSD; Male veterans; Adolescent offspring; Social environment; Human; Prevalence; Anxiety disorder; Male; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Psychosocial factor; Epidemiology; Stress; Paternal disorder; Suicide attempt; Adolescent; Family environment; Veteran; Public health
• ISSN: 0009-398X; 1573-3327
• DOI: 10.1007/s10578-013-0426-2

Despite evidence that children of male war veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at particularly high risk for behavior problems, very little is currently known about suicidal behaviors in this population of youth. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of suicide attempts among psychiatrically hospitalized adolescent offspring of Croatian male PTSD veterans. Participants were psychiatric inpatients, ages 12–18 years. Self-report questionnaires assessed demographics, suicide attempts, psychopathology, parenting style, and family functioning. The prevalence of suicide attempts was 61.5 % (65.2 % for girls and 58.0 % for boys). Internalizing symptoms, family dysfunction, lower levels of maternal and paternal care, and paternal overcontrol were significantly associated with suicide attempts. Our findings suggest that suicide attempts are common among inpatient adolescent offspring of male PTSD veterans and that interventions targeting both adolescent psychopathology and family relationships are needed for adolescents who have attempted suicide.