title: Youth and young adult suicide: a study of life trajectory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Explore the unique developmental challenges and early adversity faced by youth and young adult who died of suicide.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-seven suicide victims (SG) were compared with 56 living control with no suicidal ideations in the last year, matched for age, gender, and geographical region. Mixed methods were used: consensus DSM-IV diagnoses were formulated based on Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID)-I and -II interviews complemented by medical charts. Life calendar method was conducted with closest third party informant. Life-history calendar served to measure life events and adversity throughout the life course and were analyzed by attributing burden of adversity score per five-year segment, which was then cluster-analyzed to define suicide victim profiles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the last year, mood disorders, abuse and dependence disorders, and anxiety disorder were between 8 and 63 times more likely to be present in the suicide group. Between 0 and 4 years old, 50% of children in the SG were exposed to abuse, physical and/or sexual violence; 60% between 5 and 9 years old; and by the time they were 10-14 years old, 77% were exposed to these forms of violence. In the control group, the respective figures were 14%, 18% and 34%. In the suicide group, the trajectories leading to suicide are different as we observe two different subgroups, one with early-onset and one with later-onset of adversity. To a large extent, people in the suicide group were exposed to major adversity and they were more likely to present cumulative comorbid disorders.
authors.affiliation: Université du Québec en Outaouais, Department of Psychology, Canada. monique.seguin@uqo.ca
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Séguin
authors.forename: Johanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lesage
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turecki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult