Prevalence and associated factors of suicidal ideation in adolescents from southern Brazil

Although the literature demonstrates the relationship between symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in adolescents, there are still gaps that allow for a greater understanding of this phenomenon in early adolescence and in specific regional contexts, such as southern Brazil. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with suicidal ideation among adolescents aged 11 to 14. A school-based cross-sectional study was carried out with 374 adolescents. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to assess suicidal ideation among adolescents, the Family APGAR to identify family functioning, and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children and the Child Depression Inventory to recognize symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. The researchers applied the instruments between March and June 2024. Descriptive statistics and linear regression model were used. Mediation analysis between predictable variables and outcome was carried out by PROCESS Macro package. A 95% confidence interval and p < 0.05 were used in al analyses. The prevalence of suicidal ideation (22%), anxiety (46.3%), and depression (26.2%) was identified. There was an association between suicidal ideation and depression (72%; χ² = 107.240; p < 0.00001) and between anxiety and suicidal ideation (78%; χ² = 41.323; p < 0.001). The results of the analyses demonstrated an association between the outcome and anxiety and depression. Family functioning moderated the effects on suicidal ideation.