Repetition of Attempted Suicide Among Teenagers in Europe: Frequency, Timing and Risk Factors

The study sought to identify patterns & risk factors for repetition of suicide attempts in older teenagers. A total of 1,720 attempts by 1,264 individuals over a mean follow-up period of 204 weeks were recorded. 24% of the individuals who had previously attempted suicide made another attempt within 1 year after the index attempt, compared with 6.8% of the ‘first-evers’, with no major gender differences. Previous attempted suicide & use of ‘hard’ methods were both significantly associated with repetition of attempted suicide. Previous attempted suicide was the most important independent predictor of repetition. (28 refs)