Citation
Thompson, M.P. & Kingree, J.B. (2022). Adverse Childhood Experiences, Sexual Victimization, and Suicidal Behavior: A Longitudinal Path Analysis Spanning 22 Years. 2022 Add Health Users Conference. Chapel Hill, NC.Abstract
Purpose: Suicide is an urgent public health problem. The purpose of this study was to determine if adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increased the risk for seriously considering suicide and making a suicide attempt approximately 22 years later, and if sexual victimization in adulthood mediated these associations.Methods: Data from a nationally representative sample of 10,914 participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were used to test prospective direct associations of ACEs (including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, family history of suicidal behavior, and parental death, alcoholism and incarceration) with suicide ideation and attempts and their indirect effects through sexual victimization in adulthood.
Results: All but one ACE significantly predicted increased odds of making a suicide attempt. Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse as well as family history of suicidal behavior and parental incarceration predicted seriously considering suicide. All forms of childhood abuse and family history of suicidal behavior predicted increased odds of sexual victimization. In multivariate longitudinal models controlling for age, race, and gender, the odds of seriously considering suicide and making a suicide attempt increased as the number of ACEs increased. Experiencing two or more ACEs also was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing sexual victimization in adulthood, which in turn mediated the effects of ACEs on suicide ideation but not suicide attempts.
Conclusions: Findings indicate that reducing ACEs is an important strategy for suicide prevention not only due to ACEs’ direct association with suicide ideation and attempts, but also due to their indirect association via subsequent sexual victimization.
URL
https://addhealth.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-Abstract-Document_AH-Users-Conference.pdfReference Type
Conference proceedingBook Title
2022 Add Health Users ConferenceAuthor(s)
Thompson, M.P.Kingree, J.B.