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Childhood trajectories of anxiousness and disruptiveness explain the association between early-life adversity and attempted suicide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2012

B. Wanner ,
F. Vitaro ,
R. E. Tremblay  and
G. Turecki
B. Wanner
Affiliation:
Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
F. Vitaro
Affiliation:
Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
R. E. Tremblay
Affiliation:
Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada School of Public Health and Population Sciences, University College Dublin, Ireland
G. Turecki*
Affiliation:
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
*
*Address for correspondence: G. Turecki, M.D., Ph.D., Douglas Mental Health University Institute, 6875 LaSalle Boulevard, Verdun, Quebec, Canada H4H 1R3. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

Suicidal behavior is frequently associated with a history of childhood abuse yet it remains unclear precisely how early life adversity may increase suicide risk later in life. As such, our aim was to examine whether lifetime trajectories of disruptiveness and anxiousness trait dysregulation explain the association between childhood adversity and suicidal behavior; and moreover, to test the potential modifying effects of mental disorders on these associations.

Method

A sample of 1776 individuals from a prospective school-based cohort followed longitudinally for over 22 years was investigated. We tested the influence of disruptiveness and anxiousness trajectories from age 6 to 12 years on the association between childhood adversity (i.e. sexual and physical abuse) and history of suicide attempts (SA) using logistic regression models. Both adolescent externalizing and internalizing Axis I disorders and gender were tested as potential modifiers of these associations.

Results

Four distinct longitudinal trajectories were identified for both disruptiveness and anxiousness. The high disruptiveness trajectory accounted for the association between childhood adversity and SA, but only for females. The high anxiousness trajectory also explained the association between adversity and SA; however, in this case it was not sex but mental disorders that influenced the potency of the mediating effect. More specifically, anxiousness fully explained the effect of adversity on SA in the presence of externalizing disorders, whereas in the absence of these disorders, this effect was significantly attenuated.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence that both disruptiveness and anxiousness play an important role in explaining the relationship between childhood adversity and SA.

Keywords

Behavioral trajectorieschildhood abusedevelopmental trajectoriesearly-life adversitysuicidal behavior
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 42 , Issue 11 , November 2012 , pp. 2373 - 2382
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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