Citation

Thompson MP, Kingree JB, Ho CH. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2006; 36(1): 57-64.

Affiliation

Department of Health Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0745, USA. mpthomp@clemson.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16676626

Abstract

Suicide was the second leading cause of death for 14-17 years olds in 2002. Prior studies indicate that suicidal behaviors are especially common among juvenile delinquents, yet this association has not been examined in a national sample. The 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System was used to examine associations between suicidal behaviors and delinquency in a nationally representative sample of 14-17 year olds. Results indicated that delinquent adolescents were more likely to have seriously considered suicide (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.44), made a suicide plan (AOR = 4.90), attempted suicide (AOR = 10.08), and required medical treatment after attempting suicide (AOR = 14.61) compared to their nondelinquent counterparts. Delinquency was significantly related to suicidal behaviors for boys and girls, but the magnitudes of effects were larger for girls. This finding suggests that delinquent youth, particularly delinquent girls, should be targeted in interventions to reduce suicidal behaviors.

Language: en