Andrea Miranda-Mendizabal1,2, Pere Castellví3, Itxaso Alayo1,4, Gemma Vilagut1,4, Maria Jesús Blasco1,4, Aina Torrent5, Laura Ballester1,4,6, José Almenara7, Carolina Lagares7, Miquel Roca8, Albert Sesé8, José Antonio Piqueras9, Victoria Soto-Sanz9, Jesús Rodríguez-Marín9, Enrique Echeburúa10, Andrea Gabilondo11, Ana Isabel Cebrià12, Ronny Bruffaerts13, Randy P Auerbach14,15, Philippe Mortier1, Ronald C Kessler16, Jordi Alonso1,2,4. 1. Health Services Research Group, IMIM-Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain. 2. Department of Health & Experimental Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. 3. Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain. 4. Program 6: Health Services Evaluation, CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain. 5. Health and Life Sciences Faculty, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. 6. Department of Psychology, Girona University (UdG), Girona, Spain. 7. Department of Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Public Health, University of Cadiz (UCA), Cádiz, Spain. 8. Department of Psychology, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS-IDISPA), University of Balearic Islands (UIB), Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 9. Department of Health Psychology, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche (UMH), Alicante, Spain. 10. Department of Personality, Psychological Evaluation and Treatment, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Bilbao, Spain. 11. Department of Mental Health and Psychiatric Care, Outpatient Mental Health Care Network, Osakidetza-Basque Health Service, Biodonosti Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain. 12. Department of Mental Health, Corporació Sanitaria Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain. 13. Department of Psychiatry, Universitair Psychiatrisch Centrum, KU Leuven (UPC-KUL), Leuven, Belgium. 14. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. 15. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts. 16. Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract
AIM: To assess gender differences in the association between risk/protective factors and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB); and whether there is any gender-interaction with those factors and STB; among Spanish university students. METHODS: Data from baseline online survey of UNIVERSAL project, a multicenter, observational study of first-year Spanish university students (18-24 years). We assessed STB; lifetime and 12-month negative life-events and family adversities; mental disorders; personal and community factors. Gender-specific regression models and gender-interactions were also analyzed. RESULTS: We included 2,105 students, 55.4% women. Twelve-month prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) was 10%, plans 5.7%, attempts 0.6%. Statistically significant gender-interactions were found for lifetime anxiety disorder, hopelessness, violence between parents, chronic health conditions and family support. Lifetime mood disorder was a common risk factor of SI for both genders (Females: OR= 5.5; 95%CI 3.3-9.3; Males: OR= 4.4; 95%CI 2.0-9.7). For females, exposure to violence between parents (OR= 3.5; 95%CI 1.7-7.2), anxiety disorder (OR= 2.7; 95%CI 1.6-4.6), and alcohol/substance disorder (OR= 2.1; 95%CI 1.1-4.3); and for males, physical childhood maltreatment (OR= 3.6; 95%CI 1.4-9.2), deceased parents (OR= 4.6; 95%CI 1.2-17.7), and hopelessness (OR= 7.7; 95%CI 2.8-21.2), increased SI risk. Family support (OR= 0.5; 95%CI 0.2-0.9) and peers/others support (OR= 0.4; 95%CI 0.2-0.8) were associated to a lower SI risk only among females. CONCLUSIONS: Only mood disorder was a common risk factor of SI for both genders, whereas important gender-differences were observed regarding the other factors assessed. The protective effect from family and peers/others support was observed only among females. Further research assessing underlying mechanisms and pathways of gender-differences is needed.
AIM: To assess gender differences in the association between risk/protective factors and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB); and whether there is any gender-interaction with those factors and STB; among Spanish university students. METHODS: Data from baseline online survey of UNIVERSAL project, a multicenter, observational study of first-year Spanish university students (18-24 years). We assessed STB; lifetime and 12-month negative life-events and family adversities; mental disorders; personal and community factors. Gender-specific regression models and gender-interactions were also analyzed. RESULTS: We included 2,105 students, 55.4% women. Twelve-month prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) was 10%, plans 5.7%, attempts 0.6%. Statistically significant gender-interactions were found for lifetime anxiety disorder, hopelessness, violence between parents, chronic health conditions and family support. Lifetime mood disorder was a common risk factor of SI for both genders (Females: OR= 5.5; 95%CI 3.3-9.3; Males: OR= 4.4; 95%CI 2.0-9.7). For females, exposure to violence between parents (OR= 3.5; 95%CI 1.7-7.2), anxiety disorder (OR= 2.7; 95%CI 1.6-4.6), and alcohol/substance disorder (OR= 2.1; 95%CI 1.1-4.3); and for males, physical childhood maltreatment (OR= 3.6; 95%CI 1.4-9.2), deceased parents (OR= 4.6; 95%CI 1.2-17.7), and hopelessness (OR= 7.7; 95%CI 2.8-21.2), increased SI risk. Family support (OR= 0.5; 95%CI 0.2-0.9) and peers/others support (OR= 0.4; 95%CI 0.2-0.8) were associated to a lower SI risk only among females. CONCLUSIONS: Only mood disorder was a common risk factor of SI for both genders, whereas important gender-differences were observed regarding the other factors assessed. The protective effect from family and peers/others support was observed only among females. Further research assessing underlying mechanisms and pathways of gender-differences is needed.
Authors: Esperanza L Gómez-Durán; Carles Martin Fumadó; Aina M Gassó; Sandra Díaz; Andrea Miranda-Mendizabal; Carlos G Forero; Montserrat Virumbrales Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-06-20 Impact factor: 4.614