Reported family dynamics, sexual abuse, and suicidal behaviors in community adolescents

Abstract

This pilot study investigated associations between adolescents' reported sexual abuse and depression, suicide thoughts and attempts, and family dysfunction. Students (mean age 15.2 years) from two consecutive years at a randomly chosen government high school completed self report questionnaires which included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) the Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Brief Adolescent Risk-Taking Scale (BARTS), questions about suicide, drug and alcohol intake, and other life experiences. For adolescents claiming sexual abuse, associations existed with depression, substance abuse and multiple attempts at suicide. Compared with non-abused adolescents from dysfunctional families, adolescents claiming abuse had more than 6 times the relative risk for attempts. These findings appear to confirm sexual abuse as a risk factor for suicidal behaviors, and suggest that sexual abuse may be more influential in the development of suicidal behaviors than the context of family dysfunction