Citation

Doyle RL, Fite PJ. Child Psychiatry Hum. Dev. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10578-021-01162-1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Suicide among elementary school-age youth is vastly understudied despite being a major health concern. This study utilized mediation and moderation models to elucidate the nature of risk factors for suicide by examining the effect emotion dysregulation (of anger, sadness, and worry) has on the relation between ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention) and suicidal outcomes (suicidal behavior and risk for suicide) in children ages 6 to 12. When accounting for sex, age, depressive symptoms, and emotion dysregulation, hyperactivity/impulsivity was positively associated with suicidal behavior; however, inattention was negatively associated with suicidal behavior. After accounting for the variance associated with sex, age, and depressive symptoms, two interaction effects were evident. At low levels of sadness and worry dysregulation, hyperactivity was positively associated with suicide risk. However, at high levels of sadness and worry dysregulation, hyperactivity was not related to suicide risk.

FINDINGS support moderation over mediation.

Language: en

Keywords

Attention‐deficit hyperactivity symptoms; Emotion dysregulation; Impulsivity/hyperactivity; Inattention; Suicidal ideation/behavior