Differences by age and sex in adolescent suicide. 2019

Stephanie Lee, and Jeremy Dwyer, and Eldho Paul, and David Clarke, and Sophie Treleaven, and Robert Roseby
Monash Children's Hospital, Victoria.

OBJECTIVE To compare demographic and psychosocial characteristics of completed suicide between younger and older adolescents, and by sex. METHODS Data was collected from the Victorian Suicide Register, which contains information on suicides reported to the Coroners Court of Victoria. RESULTS Between 2006 and 2015, there were 273 completed suicides aged 10-19 years, with none aged 10-12 years. There were 171 (63%) suicides in the older adolescent group (17-19 years), and 102 (37%) in the younger group (13-16 years). Males comprised 184 cases (67%) and females 89 (33%). A higher proportion of both younger and female adolescents had experienced abuse, peer conflict and bullying. There was also a higher incidence of previous self-harm in younger and female adolescents. Older adolescents were more likely to not be in formal education, employment or training. CONCLUSIONS Suicide in younger adolescents and females appear to share characteristics, and differ from older and male adolescents. Negative interpersonal relationships and previous self-harm with possible co-existenting mental illness appear to be key differentiating features. Implications for public health: Understanding completed suicide is an important step towards prevention, and our results suggest a need for developmentally and sex-specific suicide prevention strategies.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D005260 Female Females
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
D000367 Age Factors Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time. Age Reporting,Age Factor,Factor, Age,Factors, Age
D001315 Australia The smallest continent and an independent country, comprising six states and two territories. Its capital is Canberra. Canton and Enderbury Islands,Christmas Island,Christmas Island (Australia)
D001523 Mental Disorders Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function. Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders
D012189 Retrospective Studies Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons. Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective

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