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Childhood trauma as a correlative factor of suicidal behavior – via aggression traits. Similar results in an Italian and in a French sample

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

M. Sarchiapone ,
I. Jaussent ,
A. Roy ,
V. Carli ,
S. Guillaume ,
F. Jollant ,
A. Malafosse  and
P. Courtet
M. Sarchiapone*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
I. Jaussent
Affiliation:
Inserm, U888, MontpellierFrance Université Montpellier 1, MontpellierFrance
A. Roy
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, East Orange, NJ 07018, USA
V. Carli
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
S. Guillaume
Affiliation:
Inserm, U888, MontpellierFrance Université Montpellier 1, MontpellierFrance Service de Psychologie Médicale et Psychiatrie, CHU MontpellierF-34295, France
F. Jollant
Affiliation:
Inserm, U888, MontpellierFrance Université Montpellier 1, MontpellierFrance Service de Psychologie Médicale et Psychiatrie, CHU MontpellierF-34295, France
A. Malafosse
Affiliation:
Inserm, U888, MontpellierFrance Université Montpellier 1, MontpellierFrance Département de Psychiatrie, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland Département de médecine génétique et Développement, Faculté de médecine, Geneva, Switzerland
P. Courtet
Affiliation:
Inserm, U888, MontpellierFrance Université Montpellier 1, MontpellierFrance Service de Psychologie Médicale et Psychiatrie, CHU MontpellierF-34295, France
*
*Corresponding author. Via De Santis, Campobasso, Italy. Tel.: +39 320 4795630. E-mail address: marco.sarchiapone@gmail.com
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Abstract

Background and objective

Childhood trauma and aggressive traits are considered risk factors for suicidal behavior. The hypothesis we aimed to test in this study was the existence of an association between childhood trauma and aggression in two distinct samples of Italian and French suicide attempters.

Method

Study participants comprise 587 subjects with different psychiatric diagnoses according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Three different samples were analyzed and compared: a group of French suicide attempters (N = 396; mean age 40.47 SD = 13.52; M/F: 110/286); a group of Italian suicide attempters (N = 103; mean age 38.60 SD = 12.04; M/F 27/76) and an Italian psychiatric comparison group (N = 88; mean age: 41.49 SD = 12.05; M/F; 37/51). Patients were interviewed with the Brown–Goodwin Assessment for Lifetime History of Aggression (BGLHA) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) 34-items for Italian data and 28-items for French data.

Results

When compared with the comparison group, Italian suicide attempters had significantly higher scores on the BGLHA scale and reported higher scores on the CTQ scores for physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. Significant correlations between childhood trauma and aggression were found in both groups, Italian and French, of suicide attempters.

Conclusion

The hypothesis tested was supported as psychiatric patients who had attempted suicide reported significantly more childhood trauma and aggression. Significant correlations were found between aggressive behavior, and childhood trauma in suicidal patients. This finding was replicated in two independently recruited samples in two countries with different prevalence of suicidal behavior.

Keywords

Suicidal behaviourChild abuseAggressionViolence
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , 2009 , pp. 57 - 62
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2009

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