Citation

Wyman PA, Gaudieri PA, Schmeelk-Cone K, Cross WF, Brown CH, Sworts L, West J, Burke KC, Nathan J. J. Abnorm. Child Psychol. 2009; 37(7): 917-928.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA, peter_wyman@urmc.rochester.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10802-009-9330-4

PMID

19479370

PMCID

PMC2785032

Abstract

8.6% suicidal ideation (SI) was found among 349 urban 6-9 year olds in the top tercile of aggressive-disruptive behavior. SI was associated with more self-reported depression, ODD, conduct problems, and ADHD symptoms (ES 0.70-0.97) and 3.5-5 times more clinically significant symptoms. Parents rated more symptoms in older children associated with SI compared to parents of similar age children without SI, including greater somatic and behavior problems in 8-9 year olds with SI. Parent ratings did not differentiate SI and non-SI in 6-7 year olds. SI frequently co-occurred with thoughts about death. Children described anger, dysphoria and interpersonal conflict as motivators/triggers for SI and worries about safety/health as motivator/triggers for thoughts about death, suggesting that problems managing emotionally challenging situations are a specific factor in initiating SI. Universal and indicated interventions for children to strengthen emotional self-regulation and behavioral control are recommended to complement the current emphasis on suicide prevention among adolescents.

Language: en