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Impulsive-aggressive behaviours and completed suicide across the life cycle: a predisposition for younger age of suicide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2007

A. McGirr ,
J. Renaud ,
A. Bureau ,
M. Seguin ,
A. Lesage  and
G. Turecki
A. McGirr
Affiliation:
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
J. Renaud
Affiliation:
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
A. Bureau
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
M. Seguin
Affiliation:
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
A. Lesage
Affiliation:
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada Department of Psychiatry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
G. Turecki*
Affiliation:
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
*
*Address for correspondence: G. Turecki, M.D., McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Hospital Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. (Email: gustavo.turecki@mcgill.ca)
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Abstract

Background

It is unclear whether the association between impulsive-aggressive behaviours and suicide exists across different ages.

Method

Via psychological autopsy, we examined a total of 645 subjects aged 11–87 years who died by suicide. Proxy-based interviews were conducted using the SCID-I & SCID-II or K-SADS interviews and a series of behavioural and personality-trait assessments. Secondarily, 246 living controls were similarly assessed.

Results

Higher levels of impulsivity, lifetime history of aggression, and novelty seeking were associated with younger age of death by suicide, while increasing levels of harm avoidance were associated with increasing age of suicide. This effect was observed after accounting for age-related psychopathology (current and lifetime depressive disorders, lifetime anxiety disorders, current and lifetime substance abuse disorders, psychotic disorders and cluster B personality disorders). Age effects were not due to the characteristics of informants, and such effects were not observed among living controls. When directly controlling for major psychopathology, the interaction between age, levels of impulsivity, aggression and novelty seeking predicted suicide status while controlling for the independent contributions of age and these traits.

Conclusions

Higher levels of impulsive-aggressive traits play a greater role in suicide occurring among younger individuals, with decreasing importance with increasing age.

Keywords

Age effectsbehavioural predictorspersonality traitssuicide completion
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , March 2008 , pp. 407 - 417
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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