Gender differences in adolescents and young adults with suicidal behaviour.

OBJECTIVE: Gender differences in prevalence rates of suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts as well as in risk factors for suicide attempts such as traumatic events and mental disorders were investigated in a random sample of 3021 adolescents aged 14-24 years.

METHOD: The M-CIDI (Composite International Diagnostic Interview) was used to survey suicidal behaviour, DSM-IV lifetime diagnoses and traumatic events.

RESULTS: The female suicide attempters showed suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts significantly more often, and suicide attempts at a much younger age than the males. Furthermore, the females experienced sexual abuse much more often, and suffered significantly more often from anxiety disorders. The male suicide attempters showed higher rates of alcohol disorders and financial problems.

CONCLUSION: A higher rate of anxiety in female suicide attempters results probably as a consequence of sexual abuse, which in turn makes them more vulnerable than males for attempting suicide between the age of 14-17.