Journal article
Determining the longitudinal associations between suicidal ideation and biopsychosocial factors in early to mid-adolescence: a prospective cohort study
BMJ Open, Vol.15(12), pp.1-8
2025
PMCID: PMC12706233
PMID: 41387001
Abstract
Objectives: To determine whether a biopsychosocial model of suicidality, specifically sleep, nutrition, physical exercise, mindfulness, social connectedness, lower socioeconomic status (SES) and sex are uniquely associated with increased suicidal ideation, longitudinally over adolescence.
Design: Longitudinal, prospective cohort study.
Setting: A structured self-report questionnaire was collected as part of the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Thompson Institute (Queensland, Australia) from July 2018 to January 2024.Participants159 Australian adolescents (n=91 female; 68 male) aged 12 to 17 years.
Outcome measures: Self-reported suicidal ideation was measured longitudinally. Data were also collected on self-reported lifestyle factors (sleep, nutrition, physical exercise, mindfulness and social connectedness), psychological distress, SES and sex. All measures were collected at 4-monthly intervals for each participant for up to 5 years (maximum of 15 time points).
Results: Significant relationships were identified between increased suicidal ideation and poor sleep (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.4 to 4.6, p=0.002), socioeconomic disadvantage (SES quintile 1: OR 6.3, 95% CI, 1.8 to 21.8, p=0.004; SES quintile 2: OR 8.7, 95% CI 1.4 to 56.2, p=0.022), psychological distress (OR 5.7, 95% CI 2.1 to 15.6, p≤0.001) and eating habits (β −0.08, 95% CI −0.2 to −0.0).
Conclusions: Poor sleep, socioeconomic disadvantage, psychological distress and eating habits were all found to be significantly associated with increased adolescent suicidal ideation over time. These biopsychosocial factors should be considered in targeted interventions and policies for reducing adolescent suicidality. Further research should employ multilevel modelling to examine factor interactions and rigorously evaluate interventions targeting lifestyle factors and socioeconomic inequalities through randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs.
Details
- Title
- Determining the longitudinal associations between suicidal ideation and biopsychosocial factors in early to mid-adolescence: a prospective cohort study
- Authors
- Maddison Crethar (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteAmanda Boyes - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstitutePaul Schwenn - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteLia Mills - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteTaliah Prince - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteKassie Bromley - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteMichelle Kennedy - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteChristina Driver - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteDaniel F Hermens - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
- Publication details
- BMJ Open, Vol.15(12), pp.1-8
- Publisher
- BMJ Group
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099365
- ISSN
- 2044-6055
- PMID
- 41387001; PMC12706233
- Copyright note
- © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- Data are available upon reasonable request. The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to the fact that they constitute an excerpt of research in progress but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
- Organisation Unit
- Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science; Thompson Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991191490002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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