Citation

Abel MR, Poquiz JL, Fite PJ, Doyle RL. Child Psychiatry Hum. Dev. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10578-019-00905-5

PMID

31222508

Abstract

The current study examines associations between reactive and proactive aggression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among youth (N = 115, 62% male), ranging from 6 to 12 years, seeking services in an outpatient psychological clinic. Symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention were evaluated as potential moderators of this link. Children and a caregiver completed self- and parent-report questionnaires on aggression, suicidal behaviors, depressive symptoms, and ADHD-related behaviors during intake. Reactive aggression was more strongly linked to suicidal thoughts and behaviors than proactive aggression. Further, hyperactivity/impulsivity, but not inattention, moderated the association between reactive aggression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, such that reactive aggression was only associated with suicidal behaviors at high levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity. These findings were evident for reactive, not proactive, aggression and when accounting for the variance associated with depressive symptoms, age, and gender. Hyperactivity/impulsivity is discussed as a potentially important target among reactively aggressive youth for prevention of suicidal behaviors.

Language: en

Keywords

Hyperactivity; Inattention; Reactive/proactive aggression; Suicidal behavior