Suicidal behavior in the family and adolescent risk behavior. 2005

Julie Cerel, and Timothy A Roberts
Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA. julie_cerel@urmc.rochester.edu

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of adolescents exposed to suicide attempts and suicide deaths by a family member and to evaluate the separate associations between exposure to a family member's suicide attempts or suicide death and risk behaviors, social-emotional functioning, and family connectedness. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data collected in 1995 for wave I of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (n = 5,918). The independent variable was the exposure to suicidal behavior by a family member during the past 12 months (death by suicide, suicide attempt, and no suicidal behavior). The dependent variables were substance use, suicidal behavior, violent behavior, perceived shortened life expectancy, emotional distress, and parental and adolescent reports of family connectedness. RESULTS In the year before the survey, 3.9% of adolescents experienced a family member's suicide attempt whereas 1.2% experienced a family member's death by suicide. In regression analyses adjusting for sociodemographic variables, adolescents who had experienced the suicide attempt of a family member were more likely than those with no exposure to report the following: cigarette and marijuana use, alcohol misuse, suicidal ideation and attempts, fighting and inflicting injuries, decreased life-expectancy, emotional distress, and decreased adolescent reports of parent-child and family connectedness. Adolescents who had experienced a family member's death by suicide were more likely to report marijuana use and alcohol misuse, suicidal ideation and attempts, inflicting severe injuries, and emotional distress. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents who have experienced suicide attempts or suicide deaths in the family show high levels of at-risk behaviors, most notably their own suicidal ideation and attempts.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D010287 Parent-Child Relations The interactions between parent and child. Parent-Offspring Interaction,Parent Child Relationship,Parent-Child Relationship,Interaction, Parent-Offspring,Parent Child Relations,Parent Child Relationships,Parent Offspring Interaction,Parent-Child Relation,Parent-Child Relationships,Parent-Offspring Interactions,Relation, Parent-Child,Relationship, Parent Child,Relationship, Parent-Child
D003430 Cross-Sectional Studies Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time. Disease Frequency Surveys,Prevalence Studies,Analysis, Cross-Sectional,Cross Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Survey,Surveys, Disease Frequency,Analyses, Cross Sectional,Analyses, Cross-Sectional,Analysis, Cross Sectional,Cross Sectional Analyses,Cross Sectional Studies,Cross Sectional Survey,Cross-Sectional Analyses,Cross-Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Study,Cross-Sectional Surveys,Disease Frequency Survey,Prevalence Study,Studies, Cross-Sectional,Studies, Prevalence,Study, Cross-Sectional,Study, Prevalence,Survey, Cross-Sectional,Survey, Disease Frequency,Surveys, Cross-Sectional
D004644 Emotions Those affective states which can be experienced and have arousing and motivational properties. Feelings,Regret,Emotion,Feeling,Regrets
D005192 Family Health The health status of the family as a unit including the impact of the health of one member of the family on the family as a unit and on individual family members; also, the impact of family organization or disorganization on the health status of its members. Health, Family
D005260 Female Females
D006306 Health Surveys A systematic collection of factual data pertaining to health and disease in a human population within a given geographic area. Abortion Surveys,Abortion Survey,Health Survey,Survey, Abortion,Survey, Health,Surveys, Abortion,Surveys, Health
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000294 Adolescent Behavior Any observable response or action of an adolescent. Behavior, Adolescent,Adolescent Behaviors,Behaviors, Adolescent

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