title: Parental separation in childhood, social capital, and suicide thoughts and suicide attempts: A population-based study.
abstract: Studies of the association between parental separation in childhood and suicide thoughts and attempts are scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate associations between parental separation/divorce during childhood, and ever having had suicide thoughts and ever having made suicide attempt, adjusting for social capital and other covariates. In 2012 a cross-sectional public health survey was conducted in Scania, southern Sweden, with a postal questionnaire with 28,029 participants aged 18-80. Associations between parental separation/divorce during childhood and ever having considered suicide or having made suicide attempt were analysed by logistic regression. Overall, 12.1% of the men and 15.5% of the women had experienced suicide thoughts, and 3.2% of the men and 5.3% of the women had ever tried committing suicide. Among men, 20.4% had experienced parental separation during childhood until age 18, and among women 22.3%. Parental separation/divorce in childhood was with few exceptions significantly associated with ever having had suicide thoughts with the highest odds ratios for those who had experienced parental separation during ages 0-4 years. Parental separation/divorce in childhood was significantly associated with suicide attempts among men who had experienced parental separation/divorce at ages 0-4 and 15-18, and among women at any age 0-18.
authors.affiliation: Social Medicine and Health Policy, Department of Clinical Sciences, Southern Sweden University Hospital in Malmö, Lund University, S-205 02 Malmö, Sweden; Centre for Economic Demography, Lund University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindström
authors.affiliation: Social Medicine and Health Policy, Department of Clinical Sciences, Southern Sweden University Hospital in Malmö, Lund University, S-205 02 Malmö, Sweden; Centre for Economic Demography, Lund University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosvall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D066270:Social Capital; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Divorce; Parental separation; Social capital; Suicide; Suicide attempt; Suicide thoughts; Sweden