Prevalence of suicide attempts and related factors among adolescents in Taiwan using a nationally representative...

This study aimed to apply stress-diathesis model to investigate the prevalence of suicide attempts and associated factors in a nationally representative sample of adolescents.

A cross-sectional design and secondary data analysis were conducted using the parent study "Taiwan Youth Health Survey" data. A total of 5511 junior high school students were included. The outcome variable was self-reported suicide attempts, and the independent variables included self-reported stress and diathesis factors.

The prevalence of suicide attempts among adolescents was 7.7 %, with rates of 6.1 % for boys and 9.4 % for girls. The multiple logistic regression revealed that girls, loneliness, suicide ideation and plans, smoking, drinking alcohol, consumption of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), eating fast food, having severe injuries, being bullied, and lacking close friends were associated with an increased risk for attempting suicide. For boys, anxiety, smoking, experiencing severe injuries were identified as significant risk factors. For girls, loneliness, drinking alcohol, consuming CSDs, eating fast food, being bullied, and less parental supervision were identified as significant risk factors. The derived prediction score for the total group, boys, and girls yielded areas under the cure of 0.85, 0.82, and 0.87, respectively. The regression model, which incorporated interaction terms, demonstrated that loneliness, consumption of CSDs, and less parental supervision are gender-specific risk factors.

It is essential to consider gender differences in preventive measures. Appropriate interventions should be tailored to address both predispositions and stress unique to each gender, ensuring that gender-specific risk factors are managed more comprehensively.