Characteristics of suicidal ideation that predict the transition to future suicide attempts in adolescents

Résumé

textbfBACKGROUND: 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. textbfMETHODS: 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. textbfRESULTS: Thinking about suicide often, seriously, and for a long time 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 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, adjusting for sex, depressive symptoms, previous SA history, and other baseline SI characteristics, and it was also associated with making a future SA earlier. textbfCONCLUSIONS: Assessments of SI in adolescents should take special care to inquire about frequency of their SI, along with length of their most recent SI. ÉTATS-UNIS GENRE HOMME FEMME ADOLESCENT IDÉATION INTENTION TENTATIVE FACTEUR-RISQUE