Differences in personality patterns and clinical syndromes among adolescent outpatients with and without suicidal ideation

Abstract

Suicide is a public health problem with serious personal, social, and economic implications. Relationship between suicidal thoughts and the individual characteristics have yet not been clarified among adolescent psychiatric patients. The aim of this research was to analyze the differences in personality patterns, clinical dysfunction and expressed concerns between adolescent outpatients with and without suicidal ideation. Measures administered were a clinical interview about mental health and the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory. The sample consisted of 44 adolescents of the Child and Adolescent Day Hospital of Castellón. A 59.1% reported having had suicidal ideation and a 40.9% did not experience these thoughts. The results show statistically significant differences between both groups in the following factors: Inhibited, Doleful, Dramatizing, Egotistic, Self-demeaning, Borderline tendency, Identity diffusion, Self-devaluation, Body disapproval, Social insensitivity, Depressive affect and Suicidal tendency. Binary logistic regression indicated that the risk factors that best explained the presence of suicidal ideation were Self-devaluation (β=.048, p=.007) and Depressive affect (β=.051, p=.007). On the other hand, Egotistic was found to be a protective factor (β=-.032, p=.004). These findings highlight the importance of evaluate self-esteem, self-confidence, hopelessness, and negative cognitive bias of psychiatric adolescents to prevent suicidal behavior.