
@article{ref1,
title="The association of sexual assault and attempted suicide within the community",
journal="Archives of general psychiatry",
year="1996",
author="Davidson, J. R. and Hughes, D. C. and George, L. K. and Blazer, D. G.",
volume="53",
number="6",
pages="550-555",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Lifetime community rates of attempted suicide were compared between those who reported a history of sexual assault and a control group without such a history. METHODS: The 2918 respondents in the Duke University Epidemiological Catchment Area Study were placed into groups with reported sexual assault (n = 67) and those with no known history of such (n = 2851). Multivariate and bivariate procedures were used to examine the relation between sexual assault and attempted suicide. RESULTS: Subjects reporting a history of sexual assault were more likely to be female, younger, and to report higher rates of lifetime suicide attempt and post-traumatic stress symptoms; no differences were found in the number of chronic medical disorders, major depression, substance abuse or substance dependence, or panic attacks. Nine (14.9%) of the 67 index group subjects reported a suicide attempt, 4 of whom reported their first sexual assault as occurring before age 16 years. A sexual assault history was associated with increased prevalence of lifetime suicide attempt after controlling for sex, age, education, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and psychiatric disorder. Findings were similar in the female-only subsample (n = 1778). For women, the odds of attempting suicide was 3 to 4 times greater when the first reported sexual assault occurred prior to age 16 years compared with age 16 years or older. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual assault is associated with an increased lifetime rate of attempted suicide. In women, a history of sexual trauma before age 16 years is a particularly strong correlate of attempted suicide.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0003-990X",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}