To What Extent can Adolescent Suicide Attempts be Attributed to Violence Exposure? A Population-Based Study from Western Canada
Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
26 March 2013
Abstract
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents in Canada and globally. The purpose of our study was to calculate what proportion of adolescent suicide attempts could be prevented in the absence of verbal, physical, and sexual violence. Using the province-wide 2008 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey (N = 29,315) we calculated population-attributable fractions for each type of violence, as well as exposure to any violence, separately by gender, among adolescents age 12–19. We found violence victimization is implicated in the majority of suicide attempts. Focusing on violence prevention may be an important strategy for reducing suicide among young people.
Résumé
Le suicide est, en importance, la deuxième cause de décès chez les adolescents et adolescentes au Canada et dans le monde. L'objectif de notre recherche était d’évaluer la proportion des tentatives de suicide chez les adolescents et adolescentes qui est liée à de la violence verbale, physique et sexuelle. À l'aide des données de la British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey (N = 29 315), nous avons calculé la fraction des cas attribuables à chacun de ces types de violence, ainsi qu’à l'un ou l'autre de ces types de violence, chez les garçons et chez les filles, parmi les jeunes de 12 à 19 ans. Nos résultats montrent que la majorité des jeunes qui font une tentative de suicide ont subi de la violence. Prévenir la violence pourrait donc être efficace pour réduire le nombre de tentatives de suicide chez les jeunes.
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Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 32 • Number 1 • March 2013
Pages: 79 - 94
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Version of record online: 26 March 2013
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SaewycElizabeth M. and ChenWeihong. 2013. To What Extent can Adolescent Suicide Attempts be Attributed to Violence Exposure? A Population-Based Study from Western Canada. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health.
32(1): 79-94. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2013-007
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