Citation

Owens SA, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Prinstein MJ. Child Dev. Perspect. 2020; 14(2): 116-123.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/cdep.12367

PMID

32655685 PMCID

Abstract

The prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors increases dramatically across the transition to puberty, particularly among adolescent girls. Yet we know little about why adolescent girls are at heightened risk, or when girls may be most likely to consider or engage in suicidal behavior. In this article, we outline evidence supporting a role for the menstrual cycle in the onset of and fluctuations in adolescent girls' suicide risk. This emerging framework outlines developmental (i.e., biological, social, and cognitive) characteristics that might place certain girls at higher risk (e.g., between-subjects factors), as well as potential mechanisms that occur during the perimenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle (i.e., within-subjects factors) that increase adolescent females' increased risk for suicide.

Language: en

Keywords

suicide; menstrual cycle; puberty