Childhood maltreatment and risk for suicide attempts in major depression

Background : Childhood maltreatment increases the risk of suicide attempts in the general population, possibly having similar effects among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The few studies that have addressed this association have been restricted to specific populations (e.g. treatment...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Goldberg, Ximena|||0000-0001-9681-5826, Serra Blasco, Maria|||0000-0001-5793-9906, Vicent Gil, Muriel|||0000-0001-7534-5095, Aguilar, Eva|||0000-0003-1877-1471, Ros, Laura, Arias, Barbara|||0000-0001-9181-2132, Courtet, Philippe|||0000-0002-6519-8586, Palao, Diego|||0000-0002-3323-6568, Cardoner, Narcís|||0000-0001-9633-0888
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:226465
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/226465
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1080/20008198.2019.1603557
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Childhood maltreatment
Depression
Suicide attempts
Risk factors
Sex differences
童年虐待
抑郁
自杀企图
风险因素
性别差异
• Childhood maltreatment significantly increases the risk of suicide attempts in MDD patients, above and beyond previously proposed factors.• This association is particularly evident among female MDD patients.• The underlying mechanisms in male patients may be dependent on further biopsychological factors.• MDD patients should be screened for childhood maltreatment as a strategy to prevent suicide attempts in adulthood
Descripción
Sumario:Background : Childhood maltreatment increases the risk of suicide attempts in the general population, possibly having similar effects among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The few studies that have addressed this association have been restricted to specific populations (e.g. treatment-resistant depression, personality disorders) and have rarely taken sex into account. Objective : To examine the impact of childhood maltreatment on suicide attempts among MDD patients above and beyond other risk factors and potential confounders, while considering potential sex-specific effects. Methods : The study assessed 165 patients with a principal diagnosis of MDD. Neurological alterations, psychiatric comorbidities, and drug abuse were reasons for exclusion. Logistic regressions using the whole sample, and divided by sex, were run to test the association between childhood maltreatment and history of suicide attempts, controlling for symptom severity, comorbidities, and treatment-resistant depression. Results : There was a significant and clinically relevant association between childhood maltreatment and history of suicide attempts in the total sample. Patients with childhood maltreatment were 3.01 times more likely to present a history of suicide attempts than patients without childhood maltreatment. A family history of psychiatric disorders also contributed to the variance of attempted suicide, but its interaction with childhood maltreatment was not statistically significant. When testing the model separately, the effect of childhood maltreatment on suicide attempts remained for females, whereas for males, age of MDD onset and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire minimization-denial scale were predictive variables. Conclusions : Childhood maltreatment is a clear predictor of suicidal behaviour among MDD patients, and this effect remains significant after controlling for potential confounders. Also, the sex of patients emerges as a relevant factor that may model the mechanisms underlying the prediction of suicide attempts. Since suicide is the main cause of premature death among MDD patients, interventions targeting childhood maltreatment should be included in preventive and clinical strategies.