Childhood maltreatment and suicide attempts: A prospective cohort study in Chinese middle school students

Background

Suicide is a global public health crisis, and little evidence has focused on associations between suicide attempts and childhood maltreatment (CM) in Chinese middle school students.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicide attempts and the sex difference in Chinese middle school students.

Participants and setting

In this prospective cohort study, students in grades 7 and 8 filled out the questionnaire at baseline and 6-month follow-up.

Methods

Demographic data, childhood maltreatment, and suicide attempts were surveyed. Depression, anxiety, and stress were measured at baseline as covariates. Logistic regression was employed to measure the impact of childhood maltreatment and its sex differences on suicide attempts.

Results

Among 782 students, 39.6 % suffered from childhood maltreatment, and the incidence rate of suicide attempts in 6 months was 4.60 % (36/782). After controlling for covariates, childhood maltreatment (adjusted odds ratio, OR = 2.899, 95%CI = 1.349–6.227) and its subtypes, physical abuse (adjusted OR = 4.077, 95%CI = 1.593–10.505) and emotional neglect (adjusted OR = 2.179, 95%CI = 1.059–4.481) were independent risk factors of suicide attempts. The association remained significant in females but not males, while no interactions between sex and childhood maltreatment were found.

Conclusions

Childhood maltreatment was prevalent in Chinese middle school students and closely associated with the incidence of suicide attempts, which provided valuable evidence for suicide prevention.