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Citation
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Iveson MH, Ball EL, Whalley HC, Deary IJ, Cox SR, Batty GD, John A, McIntosh AM. SSM Popul. Health 2024; 25: e101592. |
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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Self-harm and suicide remain prevalent in later life. For younger adults, higher early-life cognitive ability appears to predict lower self-harm and suicide risk. Comparatively little is known about these associations among middle-aged and older adults.
METHODS: This study examined the association between childhood (age 11) cognitive ability and self-harm and suicide risk among a Scotland-wide cohort (N = 53037), using hospital admission and mortality records to follow individuals from age 34 to 85. Multistate models examined the association between childhood cognitive ability and transitions between unaffected, self-harm, and then suicide or non-suicide death.
RESULTS: After adjusting for childhood and adulthood socioeconomic conditions, higher childhood cognitive ability was significantly associated with reduced risk of self-harm among both males (451 events; HR = 0.90, 95% CI [0.82, 0.99]) and females (516 events; HR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.81, 0.98]). Childhood cognitive ability was not significantly associated with suicide risk among those with (Male: 16 events, HR = 1.05, 95% CI [0.61, 1.80]; Female: 13 events, HR = 1.08, 95% CI [0.55, 2.15]) or without self-harm events (Male: 118 events, HR = 1.17, 95% CI [0.84, 1.63]; Female: 31 events, HR = 1.30, 95% CI [0.70, 2.41]). LIMITATIONS: The study only includes self-harm events that result in a hospital admission and does not account for self-harm prior to follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: This extends work on cognitive ability and mental health, demonstrating that these associations can span the life course and into middle and older age.
Language: en |