Arthritis linked to suicide attempts

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/uot-alt061516.php

Public Release: 15-Jun-2016
Arthritis linked to suicide attempts
History of childhood adversities such as exposure to parental domestic violence and sexual abuse strongly associated with suicide attempts among those with arthritis
University of Toronto

One in every 26 men with arthritis have attempted suicide compared to one in 50 men without arthritis. Women with arthritis also had a higher prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts than women without arthritis (5.3% vs 3.2%), according to a recent study from the University of Toronto.

The study found that those with arthritis still had 46% higher odds of suicide attempts than those without arthritis even when adjustments were made for important factors such as age, income, chronic pain, and a history of mental health disorders.

"When we focused on adults with arthritis, we found that those who had experienced chronic parental domestic violence or sexual abuse during their childhood, had more than three times the odds of suicide attempts compared to adults with arthritis who had not experienced these childhood adversities. The magnitude of these associations with suicide attempts was comparable to that associated with depression, the most well-known risk factor for suicide attempts," said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sandra Rotman Endowed Chair at University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work & Institute for Life Course & Aging.

"Other factors associated with suicide attempts among those with arthritis include a history of drug or alcohol dependence and/or anxiety disorders," reported co-author Natasha Ramzan, a recent MSW graduate of the University of Toronto. "In addition, those with arthritis who were younger, poorer and less educated also had higher odds of suicide attempts."

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