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Childhood Adversities and Suicide Attempts: A Retrospective Study

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the association among various childhood adversities and suicide attempts. A total of 575 patients of a psychosomatic clinic and general practitioners were examined by use of a structured interview. Seventeen percent of the sample reported a suicide attempt in the past. In particular, two forms of early violence (i.e., sexual abuse and harsh physical punishment) were associated with an increased risk for suicide attempts. In addition, financial hardship was associated with an increased risk for suicide attempts. Parental separation or divorce, and physical arguments between parents, increased the risk only in a bivariate analysis; after controlling for other adversities, no association with suicide attempts remained. Suicide attempts can be considered as an act of violence against oneself; they are associated with early experiences of sexual and physical violence.

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Acknowledgements

This work was founded in part by grant EG 125 of the German Research Foundation and by grant 61/496 of the Stiftung Innovation für Rheinland-Pfalz.

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Correspondence to J. Hardt.

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Hardt, J., Sidor, A., Nickel, R. et al. Childhood Adversities and Suicide Attempts: A Retrospective Study. J Fam Viol 23, 713–718 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9196-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9196-1

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