Life events as precipitants of suicide attempts among first-time suicide attempters, repeaters, and non-attempters.
The aims of this study were to investigate risk factors for suicide attempts and propose a model explaining the associations among life events and suicide status. We assessed 263 subjects admitted following a suicide attempt to the Division of Psychiatry of the Department of Neurosciences of the University of Parma and compared them with 263 non-attempter clinical control subjects. Attempters reported significantly more adverse life events both in the last 6 months, and between the ages of 0-15 years than non-attempters. A multinomial logistic regression analysis with stepwise forward entry indicated that the best model to explain suicide status was one which included life events in the last 6 months, life events during age 0-15 years, and their interaction. First-time attempter status (vs. non-attempters) was more likely to be linked to life events in the last 6 months, the interaction between life events in the last 6 months and life events during age 0-15 years, and low social support. Those attempters with one or more prior attempts (repeat attempters) were more likely than non-attempters to be linked to the interaction between life events in the last 6 months and life events during age 0-15 years, and to higher rates of psychopharmacological treatment before the index admission. Guided by these findings, monitoring the impact of early-life and recent events in vulnerable individuals should be part of risk assessment and treatment.
Pompili
Maurizio
M
McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it
Innamorati
Marco
M
Szanto
Katalin
K
Di Vittorio
Cristina
C
Conwell
Yeates
Y
Lester
David
D
Tatarelli
Roberto
R
Girardi
Paolo
P
Amore
Mario
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult