Risk for Suicidal Behavior Nursing Diagnosis in Youth Addiction Community Care: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Youth with substance use disorders (SUDs) face heightened risks for suicidal behavior.
• Early identification of at-risk youth remains a significant challenge in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of the NANDA-I nursing diagnosis (ND) Risk for Suicidal Behavior in adolescents and young adults with SUDs.
• To explore associations between this ND and clinical/sociodemographic factors.
• To analyze the burden and profiles of risk factors (RFs) through clustering.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 90 participants under 25 years old receiving care at a youth community addiction service.
• The Risk for Suicidal Behavior ND was assessed using NANDA-I diagnostic indicators via structured clinical assessment.
• Statistical analyses explored associations with demographic/clinical factors and employed cluster analysis for RF profiles.

Main Results:

• The Risk for Suicidal Behavior ND was identified in 90% of participants.
• Higher prevalence was linked to lack of family support, unemployment, lower education, multiple service involvement, and longer care duration.
• A median of nine RFs per person was observed, with a two-cluster solution revealing distinct profiles: one with high affective burden and social adversity, the other with lower burden and externalizing features.

Conclusions:

• The high prevalence of the Risk for Suicidal Behavior ND highlights its potential as a universal safety indicator in youth addiction care.
• Individualized assessment of risk factor burden and specific profiles is essential for tailored interventions.
• Standardized nursing language is vital for structured assessment and planning in this vulnerable population.