Construction of an index for predicting suicide attempts in depressed adolescents

A group of 48 adolescents who recently attempted suicide and 66 depressed adolescents were compared on sociodemographic, behavioural, psychological and relational variables. The variables which proved significant were used in different combinations in stepwise logistic regression analyses, resulting in seven variables which served as the content of an index of risk. The sensitivity of the index was 90% and the specificity 83%. At one-year follow-up the occurrence of a suicide attempt correlated with score on the instrument.