Funcionamiento familiar en jóvenes con intento de suicidio en Cuenca (Ecuador).

Background: Suicide attempts have increased in the young population, becoming a public health problem with individual, family, and social implications. The objective of the present study was to explore the relationship between cultural variables and family functioning in young people with and without a history of suicide attempts in Ecuador. Methods: It was a cross-sectional analytical study of cases and controls. Measurement involved the following instruments: International Neuropsychiatric Interview for adolescents and adults, Pierce Suicidal Intention Scale, Battery of Multidimensional Cultural Variables Questionnaires, FACE III, and FF-SIL. All scales were culturally adapted and validated to the Ecuadorian context. A U-Mann Whitney comparison established differences between the two groups, as well as a Spearman-Rho correlation coefficient. Results: Significant differences resulted in the "cultural independence" variable between cases and controls (p> 0,05). Concerning family functioning, young people who attempted suicide belong to dysfunctional families. Discussion: Cultural patterns influence suicide attempts in young people and family functioning characterized by difficulties in adaptation and poor cohesion remain serious risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]