Demographic and clinical characteristics of the 3 groups
| Characteristic | Group*† | Group comparison | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients with a history of suicide attempt (n = 28) | Patient controls (n = 34) | Healthy controls (n = 30) | χ2/ F | p value | Post hoc | |
| Female | 24 (86) | 27 (79) | 22 (73) | χ22 = 1.4 | 0.5 | — |
| Age, yr | 16.2 ± 1.0 | 16.1 ± 1.5 | 15.4 ± 1.3 | F2,89 = 3.3 | 0.04 | — |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||
| Asian | < 5 | < 5 | < 5 | χ22 = 0.3 | 0.9 | |
| Black | < 5 | 0 | < 5 | χ22 = 5.8 | 0.06 | |
| White | 21 (75) | 26 (76) | 21 (70) | χ22 = 0.4 | 0.8 | |
| Indigenous | < 5 | 6 (18) | < 5 | χ22 = 4.0 | 0.1 | |
| Latin | 0 | < 5 | < 5 | χ22 = 2.4 | 0.3 | |
| Multiethnic | < 5 | < 5 | 0 | χ22 = 2.0 | 0.4 | |
| Parental education‡ | ||||||
| Elementary school | 7 (25) | 3 (9) | 0 (0) | χ22 = 12.3 | 0.002 | Patients with a history of suicide attempt > patient controls, healthy controls |
| High school | 5 (18) | 6 (18) | 6 (20) | χ22 = 0.1 | 1.0 | |
| College | 4 (14) | 3 (9) | 6 (20) | χ22 = 2.5 | 0.3 | |
| University | 12 (43) | 22 (65) | 17 (57) | χ22 = 2.7 | 0.3 | |
| IQ score§ | 102.3 ± 15.9 | 108.4 ± 13.7 | 110.5 ± 13.0 | F2,91 = 2.3 | 0.1 | — |
| Beck Depression Scale II score | 30.1 ± 12.9 | 24.8 ± 12.5 | 6.0 ± 6.0 | F2,91 = 39.5 | < 0.001 | Patients with a history of suicide attempt, patient controls > healthy controls |
| Psychiatric diagnosis/history | ||||||
| Major depressive disorder | 14 (50) | 25 (74) | — | χ21 = 3.6 | 0.06 | — |
| Dysthymia | 5 (18) | 7 (21) | — | χ21 = 0.1 | 0.8 | — |
| Depressive disorder not otherwise specified | 10 (36) | 4 (12) | — | χ21 = 5.0 | 0.03 | Patients with a history of suicide attempt > patient controls |
| Anxiety disorder/post-traumatic stress disorder | 12 (43) | 17 (50) | — | χ21 = 0.6 | 0.43 | — |
| Eating disorder | < 5 | < 5 | — | χ21 = 0.1 | 0.8 | — |
| Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder | 9 (32) | 4 (12) | — | χ21 = 1.8 | 0.2 | — |
| Nonsuicidal self-injury, lifetime history | 24 (86) | 22 (65) | — | χ21 = 0.5 | 0.5 | |
| Psychotropic medication | ||||||
| Antidepressant | 14 (50) | 21 (62) | — | χ21 = 0.4 | 0.5 | — |
| Mood stabilizer | < 5 | < 5 | — | χ21 = 0.02 | 0.9 | — |
| Low-dose neuroleptic | 11 (39) | 9 (26) | — | χ21 = 1.2 | 0.3 | — |
| Benzodiazepine | < 5 | < 5 | — | χ21 = 0.02 | 0.9 | — |
| Stimulant | 8 (29) | < 5 | — | χ21 = 5.8 | 0.02 | Patients with a history of suicide attempt > patient controls |
Data are presented as n (%) or mean ± standard deviation. Findings were significant at p < 0.05.
↵* Patients with a history of suicide attempt had a depressive disorder and a history of suicide attempt; patient controls had a depressive disorder but no history of suicide attempt; healthy controls had no had no psychiatric disorder and no history of suicide attempt.
↵† Populations of fewer than 5 have been rounded to protect patient privacy.
↵‡ One value was missing for a healthy control case.
↵§ Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.