Suicidal Behaviour Among Youth in Five Public Sectors of Care

Rates of suicide ideation & behaviours as well as associated risk factors were examined among youth recruited from 5 public sectors of care – child welfare, juvenile justice, special education services, alcohol & drug services, & county mental health. 1057 California youth, ages 11-18, completed a diagnostic interview & questionnaires assessing relevant suicide risk factors at baseline & 2-year follow-up. While past year thoughts about death (28%) & talking about suicide (7.1%) were comparable to community norms, rates of lifetime suicide attempts (20.1%) were considerably higher in this sample. In multivariate analyses, longitudinal predictors of suicidality included major depression, female gender, & involvement in the special education sector. (42 refs.)