The prevalence and Correlates of Suicide and Nonsuicidal Self injury in Children

Male individuals were at greater risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in preadolescence relative to adolescence. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, child maltreatment, and parental support were especially relevant to suicidal ideation, as well as depression for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, in this age group. These findings have been published on 25th May in JAMA Psychiatry.

Considerably less is known about self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in preadolescence than in older age groups, owing partly to the common view that young children are incapable of suicidal thoughts. Yet, preadolescent suicide has increased in recent years and is now the fifth leading cause of death in this age group, leading the National Institute of Mental Health to identify it as a priority for research and intervention.

The researchers Richard T. Liu et al tried to assess prevalence estimates of preadolescent SITBs, identify correlates of these outcomes and conduct head-to-head comparisons of preadolescent and adolescent self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in terms of associated characteristics.

MEDLINE, Psyc INFO, and Embase were systematically searched from inception through December 23, 2021, for studies on the prevalence and correlates of preadolescent SITBs. The search was restricted to English-language publications and peer-reviewed journals.

The lifetime prevalence of suicide in the general population was 0.79 per 1 million children. Prevalence for lifetime suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury among preadolescents were 15.1%, 2.6%, and 6.2%, respectively, in community samples. These data suggest that approximately 17.0% of preadolescents with suicidal ideation transition to attempting suicide. Across several analyses, male individuals appear more likely to have self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in preadolescence than in adolescence.          

Correlate data were modest for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors other than suicidal ideation, but among specific disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and depression emerged as the strongest correlates. Among interpersonal factors, child maltreatment and parental support yielded the largest effect sizes. The authors remarked that further study, especially of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors other than suicidal ideation, is needed. Thats all for 2day.