Association Between Multiple Suicide Attempts and Negative Affects in Adolescents

32 adolescents hospitalized for a first suicide attempt, 19 hospitalized for a repeated attempt, 109 nonsuicidal psychiatric inpatients, & 85 community controls were assessed for levels of depression, anxiety, aggression, & impulsivity. Both suicidal groups demonstrated higher levels of most of the negative emotions than both the normal controls & the nonsuicidal inpatients. When the first attempters were compared with the multiple attempters, similarly high levels were noted for most dimensions of anxiety & depression. A trend toward increased aggression was noted among the multiple suicide attempters on all parameters evaluated. (49 refs.)