TY - JOUR PY - 2021// TI - Persistence during childhood problem-solving as a predictor of active suicidal ideation during adolescence JO - Research on child and adolescent psychopathology A1 - Goldsmith, H. Hill A1 - van Hulle, Carol A1 - Sarkisian, Katherine SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - Clarifying longitudinal, behavioral predictors for adolescent suicidality could enhance prediction and treatment efforts. We examined whether childhood attentional focusing, persistence, and problem-solving behavior are associated with risk for adolescent suicidal ideation. Participants were 116 twins, 40 of whom endorsed active suicidal ideation (i.e., probands), probands' cotwins, and matched controls. Higher scores on a composite measure derived at mean age 7.7 years of (1) effort and work duration during two childhood problem-solving tasks (untangling yarn and attempting to solve an unsolvable puzzle), (2) mother reported attentional focusing, and (3) observer reported persistence predicted decreased risk for suicidal ideation at mean age 14.4 years. This prediction held when comparing probands with controls (B = -1.01, SE = 0.38, p = 0.01, OR = 0.37) and with their cotwins (B = -0.86, SE = 0.38, p = 0.02, OR = 0.42). Our findings indicate that childhood problem-solving behavior relates meaningfully to risk for suicidal thoughts approximately 7 years later, on average. These results underscore how longitudinal behavioral risk factors could enhance prediction and treatment of adolescent suicidal ideation.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 2730-7166 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00726-4 ID - ref1 ER -