Citation

Campo JV, Bridge JA. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1016/j.jaac.2021.11.018

PMID

34823026

Abstract

The problem of suicide can appear incomprehensible at any stage of the life cycle, but little is more puzzling than suicidal thinking and behavior in young children. Despite preadolescent suicide being rare in comparison to suicide later in life, it is the 5th leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 12 in the US. and a serious public health problem deserving of study. The study of preadolescent suicide risk also has potential to inform our understanding of suicide across the lifespan. In an important effort to expand our limited understanding of the developmental aspects of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), Whalen and colleagues report on the longitudinal trajectories of STBs for a sample of over 300 preschool children recruited between the ages of 3 and 6 years and followed prospectively through age 17 years. Longitudinal studies allow researchers to collect more detailed information than could be obtained from a single cross-sectional survey and can offer insights into how psychopathology and associated risks evolve over time. This study is relatively unique in prospectively assessing STBs and associated risk and protective factors from the preschool period through adolescence...

Language: en