Adolescent Suicidal Behavior: Associations with Preadolescent Physical Abuse and Selected Risk and Protective Factors

• NCJ Number: 219323
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 46 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2007 Pages: 859-866
• Author(s): Suzanne Salzinger Ph.D.; Margaret Rosario Ph.D.; Richard S. Feldman Ph.D.; Daisy S. Ng-Mak Ph.D.
• Date Published: July 2007
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 MH48917 01-08
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examines the relationship between preadolescent physical abuse and adolescent suicidal behavior in cases of physically abused children and non-abused children.

Abstract

The results add weight to the heretofore conclusion that preadolescent physical abuse is an independent risk factor for adolescent suicidal behavior. Aside from preadolescent physical abuse, only preadolescent internalizing problem behavior showed any, though weak, long-term associations with adolescent suicidal behavior. The results suggest that internalizing problems may continue into adolescence and add to the proximal effect of later depressive symptoms on suicide attempt. The question of whether childhood physical abuse is an independent predictor of later suicidal behavior remains an open research question. This study addresses whether preadolescent physical abuse significantly increases the risk of adolescent suicidal ideation and attempt, independent of other generally accepted or hypothesized risk factors. It also addresses whether the hypothesized risk factors mediate, moderate, or add to the relationship between preadolescent abuse and suicidal behavior. Lastly, is whether comparable risk factors, occurring more distally in preadolescence, add to the effects of more proximal adolescent risk factors in raising the risk of adolescent suicide? Tables, references