Childhood Adversities Increase Risk for Suicidality

Childhood adversity has been consistently associated with adult suicidality. However, little evidence exists about whether the type or number of adversities affects the risk for onset of suicidality, whether the risk varies over the life span, whether adversities predict persistence or transition from ideation to attempt, and whether these effects are similar worldwide. These researchers reanalyzed data from the cross-sectional World Mental Health surveys in 21 countries (109,377 participants) to examine the relation between nine adversities (e.g., sexual and physical abuse, parental death, financial adversity) and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt.

Of the respondents, 2.7% reported lifetime suicide attempt and 9.4% reported lifetime sui…