Adolescent suicide attempts and alcohol use : a developmental psychopathology perspective

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The present study characterizes the extent to which the adolescent alcohol-suicide attempt relation varies across severity of suicide attempt (i.e., any suicide attempt vs. medically attended suicide attempt) and determines how these relations vary as a function of sex, race/ethnicity and adolescent development. Demographic and psychiatric moderators of the alcohol-suicide attempt relation were examined prospectively among a nationally representative sample of adolescents (N = 10,998). Alcohol (frequency of alcohol use) only related to future suicide attempts associated with increased severity (i.e., medically attended attempts), and this relation varied as a function of gender, race/ethnicity, and development. Among girls, alcohol related to future medical attempts, independent of age. Among boys, this relation is specific to early adolescence when drinking is less normative. Among Asian and Hispanic youth, alcohol increased risk for medically attended attempt compared to White youth. Our results replicated across alternative alcohol phenotypes (binge drinking and alcohol consequences). These findings call for a developmental psychopathology approach for studying the alcohol-suicide attempt relation.