Citation

Miranda-Mendizábal A, Castellví P, Alayo I, Vilagut G, Blasco MJ, Torrent A, Ballester L, Almenara J, Lagares C, Roca M, Sese A, Piqueras JA, Soto-Sanz V, Rodríguez-Marín J, Echeburúa E, Gabilondo A, Cebrià AI, Bruffaerts R, Auerbach RP, Mortier P, Kessler RC, Alonso J. Depress. Anxiety 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Program 6: Health Services Evaluation, CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/da.22960

PMID

31609064

Abstract

AIM: To assess gender differences in the association between risk/protective factors and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB); and whether there is any gender-interaction with those factors and STB; among Spanish university students.

METHODS: Data from baseline online survey of UNIVERSAL project, a multicenter, observational study of first-year Spanish university students (18-24 years). We assessed STB; lifetime and 12-month negative life-events and family adversities; mental disorders; personal and community factors. Gender-specific regression models and gender-interactions were also analyzed.

RESULTS: We included 2,105 students, 55.4% women. Twelve-month prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) was 10%, plans 5.7%, attempts 0.6%. Statistically significant gender-interactions were found for lifetime anxiety disorder, hopelessness, violence between parents, chronic health conditions and family support. Lifetime mood disorder was a common risk factor of SI for both genders (Females: OR= 5.5; 95%CI 3.3-9.3; Males: OR= 4.4; 95%CI 2.0-9.7). For females, exposure to violence between parents (OR= 3.5; 95%CI 1.7-7.2), anxiety disorder (OR= 2.7; 95%CI 1.6-4.6), and alcohol/substance disorder (OR= 2.1; 95%CI 1.1-4.3); and for males, physical childhood maltreatment (OR= 3.6; 95%CI 1.4-9.2), deceased parents (OR= 4.6; 95%CI 1.2-17.7), and hopelessness (OR= 7.7; 95%CI 2.8-21.2), increased SI risk. Family support (OR= 0.5; 95%CI 0.2-0.9) and peers/others support (OR= 0.4; 95%CI 0.2-0.8) were associated to a lower SI risk only among females.

CONCLUSIONS: Only mood disorder was a common risk factor of SI for both genders, whereas important gender-differences were observed regarding the other factors assessed. The protective effect from family and peers/others support was observed only among females. Further research assessing underlying mechanisms and pathways of gender-differences is needed.

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

anxiety/anxiety disorders; depression; gender; mood disorders; suicide/self-harm