Prevalence and correlates of having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year among community-dwelling adults in the United States

Objectives: This study examined the prevalence and correlates of having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year among community-dwelling adults in the United States.

Methods: The sample included 92,300 adults aged 18 or older from the 2008-2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regression pooled and stratified (by age) models were applied.

Results: Among adults aged 18-25, the prevalence of having past-year serious thoughts of suicide was 6.4%; among adults aged 26-49, it was 4.1%; among adults aged 50 or older, it was 2.3%. Among adults aged 18-25, younger age, women, non-Hispanic Asians, high school graduates, and the uninsured were associated with having serious thoughts of suicide. Among adults aged 26-49, Hispanics were less likely to have serious thoughts of suicide than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Among adults aged 50 or older, those who attended religious services more than 52 times in the past year were less likely to have serious thoughts of suicide than their counterparts who did attend. Among adults aged 18-25 and among adults aged 26-49, having 2 or more emergency room visits and having substance use disorder in the past year were related to having serious thoughts of suicide. Across all three age groups, being unmarried, experiencing past-year major depressive episode, and having fair/poor self-rated health were associated with having serious thoughts of suicide.

Conclusions: These results indicate that the prevalence and correlates of having serious thoughts of suicide vary by age. Effective screening and prevention efforts are needed.