NCJ Number
177485
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 38 Issue: 6 Dated: June 1999 Pages: 651-659
Date Published
1999
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study used a prospective longitudinal design to examine suicidality (ideation, plans, attempts, and completions) in children and adolescents, to compare suicidality in children of depressed and well mothers, and to identify correlates and predictors of suicidality.
Abstract
The study sample of 192 children included 2 children from each of the families in which 42 mothers had major depressive disorder, 26 mothers had bipolar disorder, and 30 mothers had no current or past psychiatric diagnosis. Diagnostic interviews were used to assess suicidality when younger sibling pairs were approximately 6, 9, and 14 years of age and older siblings were approximately 6, 9, 13, and 18 years of age. Children of depressed mothers were more likely to report suicidal thoughts and behaviors than children of well mothers, particularly in the older sibling cohort. Developmental trajectories of suicidality differed for children of mothers with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Links were found between lifetime reports of suicidality and adolescent mood problems such as hypomanic behavior, coping strategies, and parental rejection. In addition, there was a link between the child's and the mother's suicidality. Implications of the findings for planning interventions that target juvenile suicide prevention are discussed. 46 references, 2 tables, and 1 figure