Early menarche as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in girls: The Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey

Why is Korean girls' suicidal ideation rate higher than boys' rate? The role of gender heterogeneity in peer groups

Girls typically show much lower suicide rates than boys in most OECD countries. However, in South Korea, the suicide rate of girls almost reaches that of boys. Moreover, Korean girls' suicide rate is remarkable even among other advanced countries. One potential approach to explaining Korean girls' relatively high suicide rate is to investigate how their peer groups affect suicidal ideation, but this approach has rarely been explored in Korean adolescents. We tested how the gender heterogeneity of peer groups is associated with suicidal ideation by analyzing 2,990 adolescents from the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Well-Being Index Survey. For the analysis, logistic regression models with survey weights were used. The analysis revealed that adolescents with different-gender friends were associated with a higher likelihood of suicidal ideation than those with exclusively same-gender friends when adjusting for covariates. In addition, an analysis stratified by gender found that this association was significant only among girls. Furthermore, the protective power of having a mentor against suicidal ideation was significantly lower in girls with male and female friends than in girls with only female friends. The findings suggest a less protective role of different-gender peer groups for suicidal ideation among girls. During adolescent suicidality consultations, school counselors and practitioners should pay attention to the characteristics of adolescents' peers, particularly their gender.

Use of electronic vaping products and mental health among adolescent high school students in the United States: The moderating effect of sex

Although studies have investigated the association between conventional tobacco smoking and mental health outcomes among adolescents in the United States, few studies have examined the association between electronic vaping products (EVPs) and mental health among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional association between EVPs use, symptoms of depression, and suicidal behaviors among adolescents. Data were pooled from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 14,285 adolescents (50.3% female) was analyzed using binary logistic regression. The outcome variables investigated were symptoms of depression, suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempts, and the main explanatory variable was EVPs use. Of the 14,285 adolescents, 22.2%, 19.2%, and 58.8% were current, former and never users of EVPs, respectively. Controlling for other factors, current users of EVPs were significantly more likely to report having symptoms of depression (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.58-2.09), having suicidal ideation (AOR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.30-1.86), making a suicide plan (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.34-1.97), or attempting suicide (AOR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.41-2.18) when compared to never users of EVPs. Gender moderated the association between EVPs use, symptoms of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide plan. Racial minority identity, sexual minority identity, sexual violence victimization, victim of school and cyberbullying, alcohol use, and cigarette smoking were all significantly associated with depression and suicidal behaviors. Study findings support the association between EVPs use and adolescent mental health. Future studies that employ longitudinal designs may offer more insight into the mechanisms underlying this association.

Psychobiological risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescence: a consideration of the role of puberty

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. While clinicians and researchers have begun to recognize the importance of considering multidimensional factors in understanding risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) during this developmental period, the role of puberty has been largely ignored. In this review, we contend that the hormonal events that occur during puberty have significant effects on the organization and development of brain systems implicated in the regulation of social stressors, including amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. Guided by previous experimental work in adults, we also propose that the influence of pubertal hormones and social stressors on neural systems related to risk for STBs is especially critical to consider in adolescents with a neurobiological sensitivity to hormonal changes. Furthermore, facets of the pubertal transition, such as pubertal timing, warrant deeper investigation and may help us gain a more comprehensive understanding of sex differences in the neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms underlying adolescent STBs. Ultimately, advancing our understanding of the pubertal processes that contribute to suicide risk will improve early detection and facilitate the development of more effective, sex-specific, psychiatric interventions for adolescents.

Association between menstrual cycle irregularity and suicidal ideation among Korean women: Results from the Korea national health and nutrition examination survey (2010-2012)

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate the association between menstrual cycle irregularity and suicidal ideation in Korean women.

METHODS

Data on 5,606 women from the 2010-2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a population-based cross-sectional study, were included. Menstrual cycle irregularity, suicidal ideation, current occupational status, age at menarche, education level, household income, and marital status were assessed through questionnaires with trained interviewers. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed after adjusting for age, socioeconomic status, smoking and drinking status, age at menarche, comorbid diseases, and physical activity.

RESULTS

In the multivariate-adjusted models, we found significant associations between menstrual cycle irregularity and suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.44 [1.14-1.82]). This association was particularly noticeable in women aged 12 to 29 years (OR [95% CI] = 1.45 [1.04-2.03]), in those who had menarche at a relatively early age (aged 8-13 years) (OR [95% CI] = 1.60 [1.15-2.23]), and in those who were currently employed (OR [95% CI] = 1.46 [1.05-2.04]).

LIMITATIONS

Suicidal ideation was evaluated based on the participants' self-reports, and were therefore subjective in nature. Additionally, due to the cross-sectional design and use of retrospective data, causal relationships could not be drawn.

CONCLUSION

Women with irregular menstrual cycles were 1.42 times more likely to have suicidal ideation than those with regular cycles. More attention should be paid to menstrual cycle irregularity when attempting to improve levels of suicidal ideation.

Longitudinal predictors of suicidal ideation: Emerging to early adulthood

Few studies have examined the longitudinal trajectory of suicidal ideation (SI) in community samples, particularly during emerging adulthood. Additionally, there is scant data on predictors of longer-term course of SI across this period. We examined multiple domains of adolescent psychosocial and clinical functioning as predictors of SI trajectory and explored whether biological sex moderates those associations. The data came from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project. Participants completed self-reports of psychosocial and clinical functioning and interviews assessing psychopathology in mid-late adolescence. SI was assessed using up to seven annual mailer assessments spanning ages 19-31. Multilevel growth models found that SI declined across emerging adulthood. Multiple indices of adolescent functioning were associated with higher levels of SI three years later. Few adolescent functioning constructs predicted faster reductions in SI, and no constructs predicted slower longitudinal reductions (or increases) in SI. Similar associations were found when controlling for adolescent SI. Lastly, we found little evidence for sex differences in these associations. This work shows that adolescent functioning is largely associated with initial and enduring levels of SI. Moreover, associations were similar between sexes. Given the modest associations found across long periods of time, future research should focus on proximal risk factors for SI.

Association between early menarche and suicidal behaviors in Korean girl adolescents

Early menarche can be the socio-psychological problems. We studied the association between early menarche and suicidal risk behaviors among South Korean girl adolescents using national-wide data.Web-based self-report data from 2006 to 2015 the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey data were used in this study. Menarche status was divided into an "early menarche" group (at <12 years of age) versus "not early" menarche group (at ≥12 years of age).Participants with adolescent girls with early menarche group showed a higher prevalence of substance use, higher levels of stress, poorer self-rated health status, unhappier perceiveness, more frequent depressed mood, inter-sexual kissing or petting, inter-sexual intercourse, homosexual kissing or petting, being the victim or the assailant of sexual assaults, sexual transmitted diseases experience, pregnancy, and abortion experience than the not early menarche group. Adolescent girls with early menarche who had suicidal ideation (25.4% vs 22.2%, P < .001), suicidal plans (4.1% vs 2.6%, P < .001), and suicidal attempts (6.8% vs 5.2%, P < .001) were higher than that in the adolescent girls with not early menarche. A multivariate analysis after adjusting revealed that the odds ratios for suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts were 1.07 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.10), 1.35 (95% CI: 1.28-1.41), and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.09-1.18), respectively.Adolescent girl with early menarche was associated with suicidal behaviors.

Association between Early Spermarche and Suicide Attempts in Boys: the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey

BACKGROUND

Puberty is a biologically and psychologically unstable period, and pubertal changes differ by sex. However, most previous studies on pubertal timing and suicide have focused on girls. This study investigated the association between early spermarche and suicide attempts in boys.

METHODS

We analyzed a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescents (The Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey, KYRBS) that included approximately 35,000 boys annually from 2011 to 2015. Pubertal timing in boys was defined by spermarche. Complex sampling logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the odds ratios (ORs) for suicide attempts between the early and average spermarche groups.

RESULTS

The ORs for suicide attempts in boys with early spermarche were significantly higher than those in boys with average spermarche after adjustment for age, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. The ORs from 2011 to 2015 were as follows: 1.782 (P < 0.001), 1.490 (P = 0.002), 1.693 (P < 0.001), 1.541 (P = 0.001), and 1.393 (1.024-1.895; P = 0.035), respectively.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that early pubertal timing is a risk factor for suicide attempts in Korean boys after adjustment for depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and suicidal ideation, which have been previously reported as risk factors for suicide attempts. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to the prevention of suicide in boys who experience early spermarche in Korea.