Childhood exposure to psychological trauma and the risk of suicide attempts: The modulating effect of psychiatric disorders

Abstract

Objective We examined whether childhood exposure to psychological trauma is associated with greater suicidality and whether specific psychiatric disorders modulate this association in a representative sample of Korean adults. Methods The Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 was administered to 6,027 subjects aged 18–74 years. Subjects who experienced a traumatic event before the age of 18 years, the childhood-trauma-exposure group, were compared with controls without childhood trauma exposure. Results Childhood exposure to psychological trauma was associated with lifetime suicidal ideation (OR=3.19, 95% CI=2.42–4.20), suicide plans (OR=4.15, 95% CI=2.68–6.43), and suicide attempts (OR=4.52, 95% CI=2.97–6.88). These associations weakened after further adjustment for any psychiatric disorders, but they were not eliminated. The risk of suicide attempts related to childhood trauma increased with the presence of a concurrent alcohol use, depressive, or eating disorder. Conclusion In terms of clinical implications, patients with these disorders who have a history of childhood trauma should be carefully assessed for their suicide risk and aggressively treated for psychiatric disorders.