Suicidal ideation and self-destructive behavior in Vietnamese adolescents and young adults with psychiatric disorders

Abstract

Objective: Suicide trends among adolescents aged 15–24 are often linked to significant life transitions, such as changes in living and working environments; however, in Vietnam, research on suicide in the general population remains limited. The aim of this study was to identify at-risk youth related to suicidal ideation and self-destructive behavior in adolescents and young adult psychiatric patients. Methods: This study included 101 participants aged 15–24 receiving inpatient treatment at the Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital, Vietnam between August 2021 and June 2022. The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale was used to assess suicidal ideation and behaviors. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) between risk factors and suicide ideation and self-destructive behavior. Results: The prevalence of current ideation and self-destructive were 54.5% and 36.6%, respectively. The study suggests females had a higher OR of current suicidal ideation and self-destructive behavior than males (all p-values < 0.05). The results showed that a personal history of attempted suicide and current mental stress increased the odds of current suicidal ideation and self-destructive behavior (p < 0.05). Additionally, in the 15-19-year-old group, childhood traumas had a higher OR of self-destructive behavior (p-value = 0.029). In the 20-24-year-old group, treatment adherence had a lower OR of current suicidal ideation (p-value = 0.03). Conclusions: This study suggested that gender, history of suicide attempts, and current mental stress were significantly associated with suicidal ideation and self-destructive behavior in adolescents and young adult psychiatric patients. Paying more attention to young patients with a history of attempted suicide and current mental stress, especially females, to prevent suicidal ideation and self-destructive behavior is needed.