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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1427560

Suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents: prevalence, risk factors, and partial mediation by family support, a cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
Xiyan Bao Xiyan Bao 1Tianming Guo Tianming Guo 2Li Xu Li Xu 3Wanming Chen Wanming Chen 3Lingshu Luan Lingshu Luan 3Haidong Yang Haidong Yang 3,4Xiaobin Zhang Xiaobin Zhang 5*
  • 1 The Fourth People’s Hospital of Yancheng City, Jiangsu,, China
  • 2 Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 3 Lianyungang Fourth People's Hospital, Lianyungang, China
  • 4 Kangda College, Nanjing Medical University, Lian Yungang, China
  • 5 Suzhou Guangji Hospital, Suzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Suicidal ideation is a pressing public health concern, particularly among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents, addressing an important gap in current research. Methods: This study employed an online survey of 3443 adolescents in Lianyungang, using a cross-sectional design. The assessment included the use of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder instrument, and the Perceived Social Support Scale to evaluate suicidal ideation, anxiety symptoms, and social support in adolescents, respectively. Results: In adolescents, the prevalence of suicidal ideation was 22.1%, with a significantly higher proportion among female adolescents than among males (27.9% vs 16.9%, P < 0.001). Binary regression analysis identified (OR = 1.788, 95% CI: 1.467-2.177, P < 0.001), anxiety symptoms (OR = 10.035, 95% CI: 7.441-13.534, P < 0.001), total PHQ-9 scores of mothers (OR = 1.040, 95%CI: 1.003 -1.078, P = 0.034), total GAD-7 scores of mothers (OR = 0.958, 95%CI: 0.919 -0.998, P = 0.039), and moderate parental relationships (OR = 2.042, 95% CI: 1.630-2.557, P < 0.001) to be risk factors for suicidal ideation; family support was a protective factor (OR = 0.888, 95% CI: 0.859-0.918, P < 0.001). Furthermore, family support partially mediates the relationship between anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation among adolescents (9.28%). Conclusions: This study highlights high adolescent suicidal ideation rates and recommends gender-specific interventions, anxiety management, and family support for improvement in mental health status.

    Keywords: Risk factors, and partial mediation by family support, a cross-sectional study Suicidal ideation, Mediator, GAD-7, PSSs, adolescents. Suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents: prevalence

    Received: 04 May 2024; Accepted: 15 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Bao, Guo, Xu, Chen, Luan, Yang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiaobin Zhang, Suzhou Guangji Hospital, Suzhou, China

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