Psychological characteristics of adolescent suicide attempters presenting to a pediatric emergency service

To determine the sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of adolescents who attempt suicide and evaluate them by different scales. Materials and methods: The study was conducted with 116 adolescent suicide attempters and 98 age-matched healthy controls. Results: The mean age of all adolescents was 13.8 ± 1.2 years, with ages ranging from 11 to 16 years. Of these adolescents, 82.7% were girls. The total Suicide Probability Scale score was negatively correlated with the total Reasons for Living Inventory (r = -0.42, P = 0.001) and positively correlated with the Problem Solving Inventory score, which is indicative of low problem-solving capabilities (r = 0.46, P = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that higher suicidal probability scores among adolescents were associated with previous suicide attempts (P = 0.01, OR = 2.0, CI 95%: 1.0-3.5). Conclusion: The greater the Suicide Probability Scale score, the higher the probability of suicide and the lower the problem-solving capability. It is possible that having had a previous suicide attempt is the most important risk factor for a future suicide attempt. Cooperation among family, school, and psychological professionals may help reduce the attempted suicide rate, especially among female adolescents.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Key words: Adolescent, suicidal attempt, precipitating factors, scales

Psychological characteristics of adolescent suicide attempters presenting to a pediatric emergency service

Keywords:

Key words: Adolescent, suicidal attempt, precipitating factors, scales,

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