Childhood Adversities Associated with Suicide Ideation

Exposure to childhood adversities is associated with higher rates of suicide attempt among Puerto Rican young adults and suicide ideation in young women, according to recent findings published in JAMA Neurology.

Researchers aimed to determine if the known racial and sex disparities in suicide ideation and attempts could be influenced by childhood experiences through this longitudinal cohort study.

“The suicide-related risk of racial/ethnic minority young adults, especially young women, may be strongly influenced by adverse childhood experiences, known early determinants of suicide ideation and attempts,” wrote Lillian Polanco-Roman, PhD, Department of Psychology, The New School, New York, and co-researchers.

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Four waves of data from the population-based cohort Boricua Youth Study, which assessed children ages 5-17 during waves 1-3 and ages 15-29 during wave 4 from San Juan and Caguas, Puerto Rico and the South Bronx, New York, were analyzed from February 26, 2019 to October 16, 2020.

Childhood adversities observed during data collection included physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; exposure to violence; death of a parent or divorce; and parental maladjustment including mental health, substance abuse or alcoholism, partner violence, or incarceration.

Researchers assessed lifetime and past-year prevalence of suicide ideation and attempt in wave four.

There was a higher prevalence of lifetime suicide attempt in Puerto Rican female young adults (9.5%) when compared to males (3.6%). The young women also showed higher prevalence of lifetime suicide ideation (16.4%) when compared to males (11.5%).

Adverse childhood experiences were associated with increased lifetime suicide attempt regardless of sex.

“These findings suggest that childhood adversities are relevant to understanding the risk of suicide attempt in ethnic minority youths from disadvantaged contexts and the risk of suicide ideation among young women.,” researchers wrote.

—Erin McGuinness

Polanco-Roman L, Alvarez K, Corbeil T, et al. Association of childhood adversities with suicide ideation and attempts in puerto rican young adults. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021 May 5.[Epub ahead of print].