Adolescent alcohol use, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Mental Health Research
• Substance Use Studies

Background:

• Suicidal behavior is a significant public health concern among adolescents.
• Understanding the role of alcohol use in adolescent suicide attempts is crucial for prevention.
• Current suicide risk assessment strategies may not identify all at-risk individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between specific patterns of alcohol consumption and suicide attempts in adolescents.
• To differentiate the association of alcohol use with suicide attempts in adolescents with and without prior suicidal ideation.
• To identify potential markers for suicide risk in adolescents that may be missed by current screening methods.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of screening data from 31,953 U.S. students who participated in the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program.
• Investigated two alcohol use patterns: heavy episodic drinking and drinking while sad or depressed ('drinking while down').
• Used logistic regression to examine associations between alcohol use, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, depressive symptoms, and demographics.

Main Results:

• Both heavy episodic drinking and drinking while down were significantly linked to suicide attempts.
• Drinking while down was a stronger predictor of suicide attempts in adolescents who had not reported suicidal ideation.
• Heavy episodic drinking increased suicide attempt risk similarly in adolescents with and without suicidal ideation.

Conclusions:

• Drinking alcohol while experiencing sadness or depression serves as a marker for suicidal behavior in adolescents, particularly those without prior ideation.
• This finding suggests that current suicide risk assessment tools may overlook certain at-risk adolescents.
• Clinicians should consider screening for alcohol use, especially 'drinking while down,' as part of broader suicide risk evaluations in adolescents.