Sexual Abuse and Suicidal Behavior: a Model Constructed From a Large Community Sample of Adolescents

To investigate relationships between self-reported sexual abuse, depression, hopelessness, & suicidality in a community sample of adolescents, students from 27 high schools in Australia completed a questionnaire including measures of depressive symptoms, hopelessness, sexual abuse, & suicidality. The authors found that sexual abuse is associated with suicidality, both directly & indirectly through hopelessness & depressive symptoms. Hopelessness is associated with high suicide risk only, whereas depressive symptoms are associated with high suicide risk & attempts. (47 refs)