247439 Prevalence and correlates of having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year among community-dwelling adults in the United States

Tuesday, November 1, 2011: 12:30 PM

Beth Han, MD, PhD, MPH , Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD
Peggy Barker , Center for Behavioral Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD
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.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Assess the prevalence of having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year among community-dwelling adults in the United States. 2. Analyze correlates of having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year among this population.

Keywords: Mental Health, Suicide

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I am responsible for the study design and analyses as well as manuscript writing.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Correlates of mental disorders
See more of: Mental Health