Citation

Min HJ, Jon DI, Jung MH, Hong N, Song MA, Kim YS, Harkavy-Friedman JM, Im HJ, Hong HJ. Compr. Psychiatry 2012; 53(8): 1145-1152.

Affiliation

Seoul National Hospital, Seoul 143-711, South Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.05.004

PMID

22748971

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the clinical characteristics and risk factors of suicidal ideation in a sample of first graders from South Korea. Children's depression and aggression and maternal depression were examined as possible risk factors. METHODS: This study is a school-based, cross-sectional study of 5 elementary schools in Gunpo City, South Korea. Participants were 707 first graders (mean age, 6.54 years) and their mothers. We assessed children's depressive and aggressive symptoms using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) and maternal depression using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Two items from BASC-2 and 1 item from BDI identified children's and maternal suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Twenty-seven (3.8%) children evidenced suicidal ideation. Children with suicidal ideation had higher mean scores of depression domain (10.11 ± 5.34 vs 4.57 ± 3.44, P < .0001) and aggression domain (7.78 ± 3.84 vs 3.80 ± 2.85, P < .0001) on BASC-2 and maternal depression (9.78 ± 6.45 vs 7.28 ± 5.38, P = .02) on BDI. In regression analysis, children's depression (odds ratio [OR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.32; P = .001) and aggression (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.08-1.41; P = .002) contributed significantly to children's suicidal ideation, whereas maternal depression was not significantly related to children's suicidal ideation (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.92-1.06; P = .75). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that even first graders had a considerable prevalence of suicidal ideation and that depression and aggression were associated with suicidal ideation in young children.

Language: en