Childhood adversities and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among first-year college students: results from the WMH-ICS initiative.

Journal: Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology

Volume: 57

Issue: 8

Year of Publication: 2022

Affiliated Institutions:  Health Services Research Group, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Dr. Aiguader, , , Barcelona, Spain. pmortier@imim.es. Health Services Research Group, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Dr. Aiguader, , , Barcelona, Spain. Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, USA. Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute for Life Course Health Research, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Department of Epidemiologic and Psychosocial Research, National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de La Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City, Mexico. Department of Neurosciences, Center for Public Health Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University, Boston, USA. School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. School of Psychology, Ulster University, Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health and South African Medical Council Research Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.

Abstract summary 

To investigate the associations of childhood adversities (CAs) with lifetime onset and transitions across suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) among incoming college students.Web-based self-report surveys administered to 20,842 incoming college students from nine countries (response rate 45.6%) assessed lifetime suicidal ideation, plans and attempts along with seven CAs: parental psychopathology, three types of abuse (emotional, physical, sexual), neglect, bully victimization, and dating violence. Logistic regression estimated individual- and population-level associations using CA operationalizations for type, number, severity, and frequency.Associations of CAs with lifetime ideation and the transition from ideation to plan were best explained by the exact number of CA types (OR range 1.32-52.30 for exactly two to seven CAs). Associations of CAs with a transition to attempts were best explained by the frequency of specific CA types (scaled 0-4). Attempts among ideators with a plan were significantly associated with all seven CAs (OR range 1.16-1.59) and associations remained significant in adjusted analyses with the frequency of sexual abuse (OR = 1.42), dating violence (OR = 1.29), physical abuse (OR = 1.17) and bully victimization (OR = 1.17). Attempts among ideators without plan were significantly associated with frequency of emotional abuse (OR = 1.29) and bully victimization (OR = 1.36), in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Population attributable risk simulations found 63% of ideation and 30-47% of STB transitions associated with CAs.Early-life adversities represent a potentially important driver in explaining lifetime STB among incoming college students. Comprehensive intervention strategies that prevent or reduce the negative effects of CAs may reduce subsequent onset of STB.

Authors & Co-authors:  Mortier Philippe P Alonso Jordi J Auerbach Randy P RP Bantjes Jason J Benjet Corina C Bruffaerts Ronny R Cuijpers Pim P Ebert David D DD Green Jennifer Greif JG Hasking Penelope P Karyotaki Eirini E Kiekens Glenn G Mak Arthur A Nock Matthew K MK O'Neill Siobhan S Pinder-Amaker Stephanie S Sampson Nancy A NA Stein Dan J DJ Vilagut Gemma G Wilks Chelsey C Zaslavsky Alan M AM Mair Patrick P Kessler Ronald C RC

Study Outcome 

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Statistics
Citations :  World Bank EdStats (2020) Gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education (1970–2014). https://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/ed-stats. Accessed 25 April 2021.
Authors :  24
Identifiers
Doi : 10.1007/s00127-021-02151-4
SSN : 1433-9285
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Bullying
Other Terms
Childhood adversity;College students;Multivariate models;Population-attributable risk;Suicidal ideation;Suicide attempt
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Country of Study
Publication Country
Germany