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Suicidal Communication Prior to Suicide in Children and Young Adults—A Medical Records Review in Health Care Services in Sweden

Hansson, Anna-Lena LU ; Johnsson, Per LU ; Eberhard, Sophia LU ; Ehnvall, Anna LU ; Lindström, Sara LU orcid ; Waern, Margda and Westrin, Åsa LU (2025) In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22(1).
Abstract
Suicide among children and young adults is a leading cause of mortality, highlighting the importance of the development of life-saving interventions. This study is part of the nationwide study Retrospective investigation of health care utilization of individuals who died by suicide in Sweden in 2015, Lund University, Sweden. The aim was to gain a better understanding of verbal suicidal communication and suicidal behaviour in children and young adults who die by suicide, to analyse gender and age differences, and to discuss the findings in relation to the prevailing psychological theories of suicidality. The study sample consisted of medical records from final health care consultations of 114 individuals up to 25 years, who died by suicide... (More)
Suicide among children and young adults is a leading cause of mortality, highlighting the importance of the development of life-saving interventions. This study is part of the nationwide study Retrospective investigation of health care utilization of individuals who died by suicide in Sweden in 2015, Lund University, Sweden. The aim was to gain a better understanding of verbal suicidal communication and suicidal behaviour in children and young adults who die by suicide, to analyse gender and age differences, and to discuss the findings in relation to the prevailing psychological theories of suicidality. The study sample consisted of medical records from final health care consultations of 114 individuals up to 25 years, who died by suicide in Sweden a single year. Suicidal plans were documented in 13 percent of children and young adults. Females were more likely to have a notation of suicidal communication than males. Twenty-seven percent had made previous suicide attempts. Approximately 90 percent of the study cohort had contact with health care settings within 24 months prior to suicide. Questioning about suicidal plans appears to be an insufficient tool to assess suicidality in children and young adults. Clinical implications regarding alternative assessment methods and preventive measures are discussed. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
volume
22
issue
1
article number
31
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85216021762
  • pmid:39857484
ISSN
1660-4601
DOI
10.3390/ijerph22010031
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2c462ef0-7e03-4c47-849e-a1747c771fbd
date added to LUP
2024-12-29 12:29:38
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:51:45
@article{2c462ef0-7e03-4c47-849e-a1747c771fbd,
  abstract     = {{Suicide among children and young adults is a leading cause of mortality, highlighting the importance of the development of life-saving interventions. This study is part of the nationwide study Retrospective investigation of health care utilization of individuals who died by suicide in Sweden in 2015, Lund University, Sweden. The aim was to gain a better understanding of verbal suicidal communication and suicidal behaviour in children and young adults who die by suicide, to analyse gender and age differences, and to discuss the findings in relation to the prevailing psychological theories of suicidality. The study sample consisted of medical records from final health care consultations of 114 individuals up to 25 years, who died by suicide in Sweden a single year. Suicidal plans were documented in 13 percent of children and young adults. Females were more likely to have a notation of suicidal communication than males. Twenty-seven percent had made previous suicide attempts. Approximately 90 percent of the study cohort had contact with health care settings within 24 months prior to suicide. Questioning about suicidal plans appears to be an insufficient tool to assess suicidality in children and young adults. Clinical implications regarding alternative assessment methods and preventive measures are discussed.}},
  author       = {{Hansson, Anna-Lena and Johnsson, Per and Eberhard, Sophia and Ehnvall, Anna and Lindström, Sara and Waern, Margda and Westrin, Åsa}},
  issn         = {{1660-4601}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}},
  title        = {{Suicidal Communication Prior to Suicide in Children and Young Adults—A Medical Records Review in Health Care Services in Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22010031}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/ijerph22010031}},
  volume       = {{22}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}