Sex Differences in Developmental Trends of Suicide Ideation, Plans, and Attempts among European American Adolescents

Although suicide ideation, plans, and attempts increase during adolescence, it remains unclear whether boys' and girls' risk for these outcomes peaks at different ages. We used longitudinal categorical data (never, once, 2 + times) from the Family Transitions Project (N = 1,248 rural Europ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Suicide & life-threatening behavior 2010-10, Vol.40 (5), p.451-464
Main Authors: Boeninger, Daria K., Masyn, Katherine E., Feldman, Betsy J., Conger, Rand D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Development
Adolescents
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Age Factors
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child Health
Classification
Community Development
Delinquency
Developmental Stages
Drug Abuse
Early Adolescents
European Continental Ancestry Group - psychology
European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data
Female
Females
Gender Differences
Growth Models
Health Promotion
Health Surveys
Humans
Incidence
Iowa - epidemiology
Late Adolescents
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Males
Medical sciences
Mental Disorders
Mental Health
Minority & ethnic groups
Postsecondary Education
Prevalence
Prevention
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Resistance (Psychology)
Risk
Sex Factors
Suicidal Ideation
Suicide
Suicide, Attempted - psychology
Suicide, Attempted - statistics & numerical data
Suicides & suicide attempts
Teenagers
Trend Analysis
Young Adult
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Description
Summary:Although suicide ideation, plans, and attempts increase during adolescence, it remains unclear whether boys' and girls' risk for these outcomes peaks at different ages. We used longitudinal categorical data (never, once, 2 + times) from the Family Transitions Project (N = 1,248 rural European Americans, ages 11–19) to investigate whether yearly prevalence rates of adolescent suicidal episodes follow different patterns by sex. Multiple‐group growth models revealed that peak levels of past‐year ideation and plans occurred during mid adolescence for girls, but slowly increased through late adolescence for boys. We found that prevalence patterns for attempts were very similar for boys and girls, with both increasing through mid adolescence and then declining, although girls' risk declined slightly more rapidly. This information may help alert gatekeepers to developmental periods during which boys and girls are particularly vulnerable to suicide‐related experiences, and also may help inform the timing of preventive efforts.
ISSN:0363-0234
1943-278X
DOI:10.1521/suli.2010.40.5.451