Parent-reported preadolescent sleep disruptions were linked to a 2-year risk for suicidal ideation and attempts, according to the findings published in JAMA Network Open. These findings imply that sleep may be a visible risk factor for the investigation and intervention in youth suicide prevention.
This association between children ages 9 and 10 at that age and a 2-year follow-up was the focus of the study, which was headed by Joshua Gowin, PhD, of the Department of Radiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado.
Gowin and colleagues pointed out that among teenagers, who also exhibit high rates of sleep problems, suicide is the primary cause of mortality. The study estimates that suicide causes over 700,000 fatalities worldwide each year. This is far fewer than the suicidal behaviors linked to suicide, since there are thought to be around 20 suicide attempts for every suicide fatality.
Sleep disruptions are included in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s list of the top 10 warning signs of suicide because they have been shown to be an evidence-based risk factor for suicidal actions, even after controlling for depressive symptoms.
“Poor sleep appears to confer risk for suicide, but longitudinal investigation of suicidal behaviors remains rare, particularly in the transition from childhood to early adolescence,” the researchers said.
The study employed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a cohort design that included parents or caregivers and children recruited from 21 sites across the United States who were 9 or 10 years old at baseline.
At baseline, parents filled out a 26-item questionnaire called the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). Six subscales and a total score were produced by the scale. The 26 items were scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 denoting the most disturbed symptoms. Higher scores indicated greater intensity of symptoms. Among the SDSC subscales were:
“The computerized Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-COMP) assessed parent- and youth-reported suicidal behaviors and outcomes (none; passive, active nonspecific, and active specific suicidal ideation; and suicide attempt) at the 2-year follow-up,” the authors wrote. “Sleep disturbance was further grouped by symptom severity (minimal, moderate, elevated, high, and severe).”
A total of 8807 young people, 51.2% of whom were male, with a mean age of 9.9 years, finished the K-SADS-COMP evaluation at the 2-year follow-up and were included in the study. Following up showed that 317 people had passive suicidal thoughts, 258 people had active generic suicidal behavior, 130 people had active specific suicidal ideation, 8044 people had no suicidal behavior, and 58 people had attempted suicide for the first time.
Baseline sleep disturbance was linked to a higher incidence risk of suicidal behavior at the age of 12.