Most males who commit suicide or need hospital care for suicide attempts during their teen or early adult years appear to have high levels of psychiatric problems at age 8, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
However, later suicide attempts in females are not predicted by mental health issues at this age.
"Suicide among adolescents and young adults is a major public health concern worldwide," the authors write as background information in the article. "The rates of mortality [death] by suicide have been found to be high among those with medically serious suicide attempts. For effective prevention, knowledge of the key risk factors for suicide is essential."
Andre Sourander, M.D., of Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland, and colleagues studied 5,302 Finnish individuals born in 1981. Eight years later, information about psychiatric conditions, school performance and family demographics was gathered from children, parents and teachers. Participants were then tracked through national registers through 2005.
Between ages 8 and 24, 40 participants died, including 24 males and 16 females. Of those, 13 males and two females died from suicide. A total of 54 males and females (1 percent) either completed suicide or made a suicide attempt serious enough to result in hospitalization.
Of the 27 males who either seriously attempted or completed suicide, 78 percent screened positive for psychiatric conditions at age 8, compared with 11 percent of 27 females who had serious or completed suicide attempts. In addition, males who would go on to make life-threatening or completed suicide attempts were more likely at age 8 to live in a family that did not consist of two biological parents, have psychological problems as reported by a teacher or have conduct, hyperactive or emotional problems. However, none of these factors at age 8 predicted later suicidal behavior in females, and depression at age 8 was not associated with suicide attempts for either sex.