title: Suicidal behaviors in young adolescents.
abstract: A two-stage epidemiologic study investigated the frequency of suicidal behavior in children 12-14 years of age. In the first stage, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, a three-item suicide scale, a life-event schedule, and a family environment scale were administered during 1986 to a southeastern US community sample of 1,542 seventh and eighth grade students. In the second stage, 226 mother-child pairs were interviewed utilizing the Schedule for Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders in School Age Children (K-SADS). Subjects interviewed included students with high depression scores and a random sample of the remaining students. Prevalence estimates for moderate to severe suicidal ideation (K-SADS score greater than or equal to 4) were 4.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6-16.4%) in males and 8.7% (95% CI 2.4-23.3%) in females. The prevalences of suicide attempts were 1.9% (95% CI 0.0-13.2%) in males and 1.5% (95% CI 0.6-12.7%) in females. Significant relations were found between major depression and both suicide ideation (odds ratio = 6.19, 95% CI 1.53-24.94) and suicide attempts (odds ratio = 9.80, 95% CI 1.89-50.86). The undesirable life-events score was also a significant predictor of suicide ideation and suicide attempts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208.
authors.forename: C Z
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Garrison
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Addy
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: McKeown
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Waller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001741:Black or African American; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015144:Southeastern United States; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People