Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Suicidal Behaviors in American Adolescents: Analysis of 159,500 Psychiatric Hospitalizations

Abstract

Objectives Our main goal is to understand the demographics and psychiatric comorbidities and to evaluate the risk of suicidal behaviors in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) adolescents. Methods We included 159,500 adolescents (age, 12 to 18 years) with a primary psychiatric diagnosis from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from January to December 2014 and grouped them by a diagnosis of PTSD (N = 21,230 [13.3%]). A logistic regression model was used to measure the odds ratio (OR) for suicidal behaviors in PTSD versus non-PTSD cohorts. Results A higher proportion of PTSD adolescents were females (75.7%) and whites (63.6%). The most prevalent psychiatric comorbidities in PTSD inpatients (vs. non-PTSD) were anxiety disorders (100% vs. 31.9%) and mood disorders (89.4% vs. 84.7%). About 48.7% of PTSD inpatients had suicidal behaviors and had a higher risk (OR 1.23; 95% CI: 1.19-1.26; P < 0.001) compared to that seen in 43.6% of the non-PTSD cohort. Conclusions Diagnosis of PTSD is prevalent in adolescents, especially females and whites, with anxiety and mood disorders being the most prevalent comorbidities. There exists a significant association between PTSD and suicidal behaviors, with an increased risk of 23% in adolescents.