title: Suicidal behaviors among Moroccan school students: prevalence and association with socio-demographic characteristics and psychoactive substances use: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicidal behavior is a major cause of injury and death worldwide, especially among adolescents and young adults. Few studies have tackled this issue in the Arab world. The present study investigated the prevalence and the risk factors of suicidal behaviors among Moroccan school students.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April 2012 to November 2013, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the North-Centre region of Morocco among students in public secondary schools selected using stratified cluster random sampling. The data were collected via anonymous self-administered questionnaires. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used in its Moroccan Colloquial Arabic version to assess suicidality according to the DSM-IV criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 3020 students (53 % boys) aged 11-23 years (average age = 16 ± 2.1 years) were included in the study. The prevalence of suicide ideation, suicide planning and suicide attempts during the last month were 15.7, 6.3, and 6.5 % respectively. Univariate analyses demonstrated that suicidal behaviors followed different epidemiological patterns. According to the multivariate analyses, the risk factors for all suicidal behaviors among Moroccan school students were the female gender, middle school level, urban locations, low family income, parents' divorce, tobacco consumption and psychoactive substances (alcohol and cannabis) use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intervention of preventive programs has become an emergency to overcome the issue of suicidality in Morocco. Further researches on adolescents' suicidal behaviors are suggested to update temporal data and assess the effectiveness of potential interventions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Health Community, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. btissame.zarrouq@usmba.ac.ma.|Laboratory of Physiology-Pharmacology and Environmental Health, Dhar El Mahraz Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. btissame.zarrouq@usmba.ac.ma.|Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and pharmacy of Fez, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdillah University, B.P 1893, Route Sidi Harazem, Km 2.2, Fez, Morocco. btissame.zarrouq@usmba.ac.ma.
authors.forename: Btissame
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zarrouq
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Health Community, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. kacem201@gmail.com.|Laboratory of Physiology-Pharmacology and Environmental Health, Dhar El Mahraz Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. kacem201@gmail.com.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bendaou
authors.affiliation: Department of English, Dhar El Mahraz Faculty of literature and human sciences, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. elkinanysoukaina@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elkinany
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. ismailrammouz@gmail.com.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rammouz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. aalouanerachid@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aalouane
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physiology-Pharmacology and Environmental Health, Dhar El Mahraz Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. lyoussi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lyoussi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Al Hassan Hospital, Hassan the 2nd University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. Saidkhelafa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khelafa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Al Hassan Hospital, Hassan the 2nd University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. yanncorr@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bout
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Al Hassan Hospital, Hassan the 2nd University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. nabil-berhili@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Berhili
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Al Hassan Hospital, Hassan the 2nd University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. hayathlal@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hlal
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Health Community, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. cnejjari2000@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nejjari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Health Community, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. elrhazikarima@gmail.com.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: El Rhazi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004243:Divorce; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult