The role of childhood maltreatment and mental health disorders on suicidal behaviour in adolescents

Abstract

Abstract Background Suicide stands as a grave and pressing public health concern, ranking among the foremost causes of death in the youth demographics. While childhood maltreatment (CM) and mental disorders have garnered substantial attention as risk factors for suicide, there remains an enigmatic aspect concerning how these two elements interact, influencing the nature of suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour, and the transition between them. Objective This study endeavours to shed light on the intricate interplay between CM, mental disorders, and suicide. Participants and setting We gathered data from 289 adolescents aged 12–17 (87.2 % female) drawn from eight different hospitals across Spain, all of whom had attempted suicide within the past 10 days. Methods We assessed suicidal ideation severity and intensity, suicidal behaviour by attempts using the C-SSRS, and the presence of CM using CTQ and identified concurrent mental disorders according to the MINI. Regression analysis and moderation analysis were conducted by PROCESS macro. Results Moderation analysis revealed that higher scores of CM were associated with a higher number of suicide attempts with the presence of a mental disorder. Additionally, we found that those with higher scores of CM reported less severe characteristics of suicidal ideation, when presenting along with an anxiety disorder. Conclusions These findings revealed CM increased risk of suicidal behaviour among young individuals. Additionally, the results suggest that adolescents with CM and anxiety disorder might under-report suicidal ideation. Hence, these findings offer a potential key to identifying and preventing suicide risk among young individuals.