The association between traumatic experiences and suicide attempt in patients treated at the Hospital de Pronto Socorro in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze associations between attempted suicide and childhood trauma.

METHODS

A seven month comparative case-control study (28 subjects - patients with suicide attempt; 56 controls - patients without suicide attempt). The following instruments were used: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), and Medical Outcomes Study (MOS).

RESULTS

The group with suicide attempt had significantly higher scores for some variables: emotional abuse (p < 0.001), physical abuse (p < 0.001), emotional neglect (p < 0.001), and physical neglect (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that variables related to previous trauma may influence future suicide attempts. The adoption of preventive and therapeutic actions related to mistreatments during child development is a crucial factor in reduction of suicide risk.