title: Suicidal tendency in a sample of adolescent outpatients with adjustment disorder: gender differences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although Adjustment Disorder (AD) is a prevalent diagnosis in adolescent mental health services and linked to suicidal tendency in adolescence, little research exists examining prevalence and gender differences of suicidal symptoms among AD patients using standardized instruments.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study aims to assess the presence of suicidal tendency in a clinical sample of Spanish adolescents with AD analyzing gender differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-seven adolescents with AD were recruited at a public mental health center and included in the AD sample; they were administered the Inventario de Riesgo Suicida para Adolescentes (Suicide Risk Inventory for Adolescents-IRIS) and the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI). Ninety-nine community adolescents were recruited and administered the IRIS inventory. The community sample works as a contrast group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Girls with AD show higher levels of suicidal symptoms than boys on both the IRIS Suicidal Ideation and Intention scale (t=8.15, p<.001) and the MACI Suicidal Tendency scale (t=6.6, p<.001). Girls with AD scored significantly higher than girls from the community contrast group sample in the IRIS Suicidal Ideation and Intention scale, but boys with AD presented no differences with regard to boys form the community contrast group sample. Compared with normative clinical samples of the MACI, no differences in the Suicidal Tendency scale scores were found between AD and normative girls, but AD boys showed significantly lower mean scores than normative boys. Suicidal symptoms were presented by 27% of girls and 18% of boys, although only 6% of the girls and none of the boys presented clear suicidal tendencies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering suicidal tendencies in adolescents with Adjustment Disorder is important-especially in girls, who present high suicidal tendencies in relation both to boys and to community peers and the normative clinical population.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona; Child and youth mental health center, Vidal i Barraquer Foundation (CSMIJ FVB). Electronic address: laia.ferrer3@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona; Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior (IR3C).
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirchner
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010379:Peer Group; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires