Differentiating Adolescent Suicide Attempters from Ideators: Examining the Interaction between Depression Severity and Alcohol Use
Year: 2020
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study examined whether depressed mood, frequency of alcohol use, and their combination differentiated non-suicidal adolescents from those with suicidal ideation and adolescents with suicidal ideation from those who have made a suicide attempt. Hierarchical logistic regressions indicated that frequency of alcohol use did not differentiate non-suicidal adolescents from those with current suicidal ideation, but severity of depressed mood did so. In contrast, alcohol use was a significant differentiating factor between adolescents who had attempted suicide compared to those with suicidal ideation only, with severity of depressed mood not being significant. However, there was also a significant interaction effect such that for adolescents with suicidal ideation and low levels of depression, increased frequency of alcohol use was associated with increased odds of a suicide attempt. These findings suggest that alcohol use may hasten the transition from suicidal ideation to suicide attempt in adolescents with low levels of depressed mood.
DOI: 10.17615/jh4t-cq18
Authors: Spirito, Anthony, Prinstein, Mitchell J., Becker, Sara J., McManama O'Brien, Kimberly H., Simon, Valerie
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4298864634