Suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in Polish adolescents: is it a suicidal process?

UNLABELLED

The objective of our study was to assess the prevalence and possible predictors of suicide attempts and ideation in the school population of adolescents in the city of Lodz.

METHOD

A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was distributed to a representative (random) sample of 1,663 students, aged 14 to 21 years. Adolescents reporting no suicide behaviour constitute the control group; characteristics of this group were compared to those of the group concerned, with exploration of the correlation between different variables in terms of relative risk, separately for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.

RESULTS

About 31% of students reported suicidal ideation (SSI), and 8%--suicide attempts (SSA). Among the factors related to the highest relative risk of suicide attempts in the examined students and differentiated SSA and SSI, the most significant factor appeared to be previous psychiatric treatment and/or psychotherapy (OR = 9), run away from home (OR = 7), suicidal deaths among relatives and friends (OR = 6), drug abuse (OR = 5), and "fascination with death" (OR = 4).

CONCLUSIONS

There are separate predictors of suicide attempt and suicidal ideation in Polish adolescents. Suicidal ideation as a common phenomenon (occurring in every third pupil) probably should be included into the specificity of the puberty process and considered as a separate phenomenon from suicide attempt. The presence of previous psychiatric diagnosis is most strongly related to the occurrence of suicide attempts (including those repeated), but is not related to suicidal ideation.