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Intergenerational transmission of suicide attempt in a cohort of 4.4 million children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2021

Anne Ranning Open the ORCID record for Anne Ranning [Opens in a new window] ,
Md Jamal Uddin ,
Holger J. Sørensen ,
Thomas Munk Laursen ,
Anne A. E. Thorup ,
Trine Madsen ,
Merete Nordentoft  and
Annette Erlangsen
Anne Ranning*
Affiliation:
Copenhagen Research Center for Mental Health, Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Md Jamal Uddin
Affiliation:
Copenhagen Research Center for Mental Health, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Biostatistics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Statistics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
Holger J. Sørensen
Affiliation:
Copenhagen Research Center for Mental Health, Copenhagen, Denmark
Thomas Munk Laursen
Affiliation:
National Center for Register-based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Anne A. E. Thorup
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center, Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark
Trine Madsen
Affiliation:
Copenhagen Research Center for Mental Health, Copenhagen, Denmark
Merete Nordentoft
Affiliation:
Copenhagen Research Center for Mental Health, Copenhagen, Denmark Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Annette Erlangsen
Affiliation:
Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA Center of Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Anne Ranning, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

The association between suicide attempts (SAs) in parents and children is unclear, and risk indicators for intergenerational transmission remain undocumented. We aimed to assess this association, considering the child's developmental period at the time of parents' attempted suicide, and the parental relation.

Methods

Using a prospective cohort design, nationwide population data were linked to the Psychiatric Central Register and National Patient Register for all individuals aged 10 years or older living in Denmark between 1980 and 2016. We assessed incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and cumulative hazards for children's first SA.

Results

In a cohort of 4 419 651 children, 163 056 (3.7%) had experienced a parental SA. An SA was recorded among 6996 (4.3%) of the exposed children as opposed to 70112 (1.6%) in unexposed individuals. Higher rates were noted when a parental SA occurred during early childhood (0 ⩽ age < 2) [IRR, 4.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.2–5.4] v. late childhood (6 ⩽ age < 13) (IRR, 3.6; 95% CI 3.4–3.8) when compared to those unexposed. Children exposed prior to age 2 had the highest rates of all sub-groups when reaching age 13–17 (IRR, 6.5; 95% CI 6.0–7.1) and 18–25 years (IRR, 6.8; 95% CI 6.2–7.4). Maternal SA (IRR, 3.4; 95% CI 3.2–3.5) was associated with higher rates than paternal (IRR, 2.8; 95% CI 2.7–2.9).

Conclusion

Parental SA was associated with children's own SA. Exposure during early developmental stages was associated with the highest rates. Early preventive efforts are warranted as is monitoring of suicide risk in the children from age 13.

Keywords

Family high risksuicide attemptchildadolescentcorhort study
Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 52 , Issue 14 , October 2022 , pp. 3202 - 3209
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Copyright
Copyright © Copenhagen Research Center of Mental Health (CORE), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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