Suicide Ideation and Attempts Among Adolescents Engaged in Risk Behaviors: A Latent Class Analysis

This study addressed gaps in the literature regarding how different profiles of adolescent risk behavior relate to suicide. Data came from the 2010 Minnesota Student Survey of 9th and 12th grade students. Latent class analysis derived a set of four classes reflecting unique patterns of eight behaviors: maladaptive dieting, prescription drug misuse, illegal drug use, marijuana use, problem drinking, risky sexual behavior, perpetration of interpersonal violence, and self-injury. A class demonstrating high engagement in all risk behaviors, and a class highest on self-injury and maladaptive dieting but low on several other risk behaviors, showed high risk for suicide. Practitioners should carefully monitor adolescents engaging in multiple risk behaviors for suicide, especially if self-injury and maladaptive dieting are present.