Traumatic life-events and suicidality among Mexican adolescents as they grow up: A longitudinal community survey

Objective Limited research exists on the impact of type and number of traumatic events on the incidence of suicide ideation and attempts (suicidality) among adolescents in low/middle income countries where violence is common. Method We estimated prospective associations of 7 types of events on the new occurrence of suicidality from a follow-up conducted in 2013 (n = 1071; ages 19–26) of the original Mexican Adolescent Mental Health Survey conducted in 2005 (ages 12–17), by using Hazard Ratios (HR) estimates. Results For new onset of suicide ideation, those reporting “Ever raped or sexually assaulted” had the highest adjusted HR (3.8), followed by “Ever other traumatic event” (HR = 1.9), “Ever committed or witnessed violence” (HR = 1.7) and “Beaten as a child or witnessed physical fights at home” (HR = 1.5). For suicide attempt, those reporting “Ever beaten up by spouse, partner, someone else, mugged with a weapon, or stalked” (HR = 3.8) and “Ever other traumatic event” (HR = 2.0) had the higher hazards. Compared to those without a traumatic event, increased hazards of ideation and attempt were found for those reporting a greater number of types of events. Conclusions Our sample is representative of the largest metropolitan area in Mexico but does not include other cities or age groups that may differ in risk factors. Traumatic events that happened in the eight years between waves are not considered. Traumatic events increased the risk of suicidality, independent of common mental disorders. Identifying and addressing these events in clinical settings may therefore be important for preventing suicide in this population.