Childhood Circumstances, Adolescent Adjustment, and Suicide Attempts in a New Zealand Birth Cohort

This article reports on a longitutidinal study of a birth cohort of 954 children studied at annual intervals to age of 16 years. By age 16, 3.0% of the sample reported having attempted suicide. Conclusion: a common pathway to suicidal behaviours involves early disadvantageous childhood & family circumstances, which lead to increased risks of adolescent psychopathology & problems of adjustment, which lead to increased risks & vulnerability to adolescent suicidal behaviours. (51 Refs.)