Researchers at the Hospital del Mar Research Medical Institute (IMIM) have just published the results of research that has determined that all kinds of exposure to violence at an early age are associated with a higher risk of future suicide attempts and, in particular, suicide among youths and young adults between the ages of 12 and 26. Child sexual abuse and bullying at school are the main contributors to these suicide attempts.

“Individuals who have been the victims of any kind of interpersonal violence during childhood or adolescence have twice the risk of attempting suicide in their youth or young adulthood, and the risk is almost four-fold when the abuse was sexual”, explains Jordi Alonso, coordinator of the Health Services Research Group of the  IMIM, full professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), and director of the study; “but the association is much higher for death by suicide, which increases up to ten times in comparison with those who have not been victims. Childhood and adolescence are critical periods of development, associated with greater sensitivity, and exposure to violence at this age is associated with multiple emotional and behavioural problems, including greater vulnerability to suicidal behaviour and even death by suicide”, he adds.

This is the first time that a study has provided an estimation of suicide risk posed by exposure to any kind of violence during childhood, based on a systematic analysis of all the studies conducted on the subject worldwide.

Each year, over a million people die as a result of interpersonal violence, and many more suffer serious injuries. Children and young people are the groups most at risk of being victims of violence, which includes physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, bullying, partner violence and violence in the community.

Suicide is the second cause of death among young people and is a serious public health problem. Over the last 45 years suicide rates worldwide have increased by 60%, and young people are the group most at risk in a third of countries, both developed and developing. Suicide has a huge family and a social cost, even more so when the victim is a teenager or a young person. Each youth suicide has a potential of sixty years of life lost and suicide attempts have a high impact in terms of years of life lost due to the disability they cause. In Catalonia, the pioneering Suicide Risk Code scheme aims to prevent death by suicide and the Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addiction at Hospital del Mar, among other institutions, is playing a prominent role.

“Exposure to violence during childhood not only has short-term consequences, during youth, but also has long-term consequences. The victims of interpersonal violence, whether sexual or not, are most likely to develop mental disorders, consume drugs, attempt suicide, contract sexually transmitted infections and practise high-risk sexual behaviour”, explains Pere Castellví, researcher of the Health Service Research Group at the IMIM and first author of the article.

“Unfortunately, the complete elimination of exposure to interpersonal violence during childhood is unlikely; but children and young people who have suffered should be considered potential targets for suicide prevention schemes, where the teams composed of multidisciplinary experts must play a key role in the identification of and the support for the victims”, concludes Jordi Alonso.

Reference article: P. Castellví, A. Miranda-Mendizábal, O. Parés-Badell, J. Almenara, I. Alonso, M. J. Blasco, A. Cebrià, A. Gabilondo, M. Gili, C. Lagares, J. A. Piqueras, M. Roca, J. Rodríguez-Marín, T. Rodríguez-Jimenez, V. Soto-Sanz , J. Alonso. “Exposure to violence, a risk for suicide in youths and young adults. A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica

Picture 1: Depression - Ryan Melough

Picture 2: Jordi Alonso, coordinator of the Health Services Research Group at the IMIM, director of the IMIM’s research programme in Epidemiology and Public Health, CIBERESP group leader and full professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health in the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (DCEXS), UPF. (Source: Josep Cano)