Adolescent suicide attempts in three diverse island nations: patterns, contextual differences and demographic associations

Abstract

Objective: Most epidemiological studies on suicidal behavior have been focused on high-income country settings. This study examine factors associated with suicidal behaviors among school-attending adolescents in three island nations. In this secondary analysis of the publicly available 2015 nationally representative GSHS data, we tested demographic, social, and behavioral attributes using multivariable logistic regression to association with suicide attempts. Results: Within the recall period, 13.6% of participants reported having attempted suicide one or more times in the Cook Islands, 10.8% in Curaçao, and 9.8% in East Timor. In the Cook Islands, suicide ideation (AOR = 19.42, 95% CI = 9.11–41.41), anxiety (AOR = 2.51, 95% CI = 1.08–5.82), physical bullying (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.10–9.91), and cigarette smoking (AOR = 3.82, 95% CI = 1.38–10.54) were associated with suicide attempts. For Curaçaoo, suicide ideation (AOR = 7.88, 95% CI = 5.20–11.95) and suicide planning (AOR = 7.01, 95% CI = 4.24–11.60) were statistically significant. While for East Timor, suicide ideation (AOR = 4.59, 95% CI = 2.14–9.88), suicide planning (AOR = 3.36, 95% CI = 1.76–6.29), bullying victimization (AOR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.02–7.12), and serious injuries (AOR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.31–3.74) were statistically significant. Suicide attempt is relatively common in each of the three island nations. The socioeconomic context of adolescents might play a significant role in moderating suicidal behavior. Therefore, prevention efforts should be grounded in view of geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic contexts of the populations at risk.