Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
5 years ago

Adult Associations of Childhood Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: A Prospective, Longitudinal Analysis

Suicidal thoughts and behavior (STBs) have their peak period of onset in adolescence, but little is known about how such behavior is associated with later functioning. The aim of this study is to test whether childhood STBs are related to adult psychiatric, suicidal, and functional outcomes. Method This is a prospective, population-based community study of 1,420 participants assessed with structured interviews up to 7 times in childhood/adolescence (ages 9 to 16; 6,674 observations) for STBs including passive and active ideation, plans and attempts. Participants were then assessed 4 times in young adulthood (ages 19, 21, 24, and 30; 4,556 observations of 1,273 participants) for psychiatric diagnoses, STBs, and functional outcomes. Results By age 16, 7.0% of participants had reported some type of STBs with 3.9% reporting an attempt. Both ideation only and suicide attempts were associated with higher levels of anxiety disorders and STBs in adulthood, as well as poor functioning across financial, health, risky/illegal, and social domains. These observed effects generally were attenuated after adjusting for other psychiatric and psychosocial factors that predict childhood STBs (particularly maltreatment, depression, and disruptive behavior disorders). The exception was adult suicidal behavior, which was predicted by both childhood ideation and attempts, even in the fully adjusted model. Children and adolescents with STBs were more likely to have a disrupted transition to adulthood. Conclusion Childhood STBs are a marker for a multitude of poor psychiatric and functional outcomes in adulthood, but these effects are largely accounted for by other factors. In contrast, childhood STBs are a robust risk factor for adult suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Publisher URL: www.sciencedirect.com/science

DOI: S0890856717316593

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