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Identifying correlates of suicide attempts in suicidal ideators: a population-based study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2007

JELENA BREZO ,
JOEL PARIS ,
RICHARD TREMBLAY ,
FRANK VITARO ,
MARTINE HÉBERT  and
GUSTAVO TURECKI
JELENA BREZO
Affiliation:
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada
JOEL PARIS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
RICHARD TREMBLAY
Affiliation:
GRIP, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
FRANK VITARO
Affiliation:
GRIP, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
MARTINE HÉBERT
Affiliation:
Department of Sexology, University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada
GUSTAVO TURECKI*
Affiliation:
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
*
*Address for correspondence: Gustavo Turecki, M.D., Ph.D., McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital, McGill University, 6875 LaSalle blvd, Montreal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada. (Email: gustavo.turecki@mcgill.ca)
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Abstract

Background

Identification of factors that distinguish between ideators who act on their suicidal thoughts from those who do not is an important clinical and research objective.

Method

We examined correlates of suicide attempts in suicidal ideators, members of a French-Canadian, school-based cohort. Suicidal thoughts were evaluated in adolescence and early adulthood in the total sample of suicidal ideators, who were then stratified into subgroups consisting of persistent ideators, male ideators and female ideators.

Results

In addition to persistent suicidal ideas [odds ratios (ORs) 2·1–2·8], Axis I psychopathology, female gender and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) were the most consistent correlates of suicide attempts. Externalizing disorders were significant contributors in persistent ideators [drug misuse: OR 2·8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·1–6·9] and in male ideators in particular (disruptive disorders: OR 5·9, 95% CI 2·2–16·0). In women, psychiatric co-morbidity also had a significant effect (OR 1·6, 95% CI 1·1–2·1). CSA was of relevance in both women (OR 1·2, 95% CI 1·1–1·4) and persistent ideators (OR 1·3, 95% CI 1·1–1·5). Personality traits showed gender-specific contribution with affective instability (OR 1·1, 95% CI 1·01–1·1) and anxiousness (OR 1·3, 95% CI 1·1–1·7) contributing in men and disruptive aggression (OR 1·1, 95% CI 1·03–1·3) in women.

Conclusions

Correlates of suicide attempts in suicidal ideators vary as a function of the persistence of suicidal ideas and gender. This heterogeneity across subgroups of suicidal ideators may be attributed, at least in part, to differences between the sexes, early environmental adversity, maladaptive personality, and psychiatric symptoms. Further exploration and continued prospective follow-up is necessary to examine these possibilities.

Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 37 , Issue 11 , November 2007 , pp. 1551 - 1562
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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