Factors associated with multiple versus single episode suicide attempts in the 1990-1992 and 2001-2003 United States national comorbidity surveys.

This study sought to examine psychiatric and childhood traumatic event correlates of multiple suicide attempts (MSA) compared with single suicide attempts (SSA) in 2 nationally representative samples of the United States general population. Data came from the National Comorbidity Survey (n = 5,401; age 18-54; response rate = 82.4%) and the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (n = 4,083; age 18-54; response rate = 70.9%). Multiple logistic regressions were used to compare individuals with MSA to those with a SSA on the variables of interest after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Individuals with a history of MSA had significantly higher odds of experiencing several traumatic events in childhood in the 2 surveys. Most notably, comorbidity of 3 or more mental disorders and the presence of at least 1 anxiety disorder distinguished individuals with MSA from those with a SSA in both surveys, suggesting the potential importance of these variables in association with multiple suicide attempts.