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Frequency and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation in Pediatric Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

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Abstract

This study examined the frequency and sociodemographic and clinical correlates of suicidal ideation in a sample of children and adolescents with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Fifty-four youth with OCD and their parent(s) were administered the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime, Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, and Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised. Children completed the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior (SIQ-JR), Child Obsessive Compulsive Impact Scale-Child, and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children; parents completed the Child Obsessive Compulsive Impact Scale-Parent, Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV Parent Scale, and Young Mania Rating Scale-Parent Version. Seven youth endorsed clinically significant levels of suicidal ideation on the SIQ-JR. Suicidal ideation was significantly related to clinician-rated depressive symptoms, age, child-rated impairment and anxiety symptoms, and symmetry, sexuality/religiosity and miscellaneous symptom dimensions. There was no significant association between suicidal ideation and obsessive–compulsive symptom severity, comorbidity patterns, or several parent-rated indices (e.g., impairment, impulsivity). These results provide initial information regarding the frequency and correlates of suicidal ideation in treatment-seeking youth with OCD. Clinical implications are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Grants to the first (L40 MH081950-02), second and last authors from the National Institutes of Health (1R01MH078594-01). The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Ayesha Lall, M.D., Cynthia Garvan, Ph.D., Gary Geffken, Ph.D., Wayne K. Goodman, M.D., Joseph McNamara, Ph.D., Amaya Ramos, M.D., and Mark Yang, Ph.D.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Rothman Center for Neuropsychiatry, University of South Florida, 880 6th Street South, St., Box 7523, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Eric A. Storch, Marni L. Jacob, Joshua M. Nadeau, Erika Crawford, P. Jane Mutch, Adam B. Lewin & Tanya K. Murphy

  2. Rogers Behavioral Health—Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL, USA

    Eric A. Storch

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Regina Bussing & Dana Mason

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  1. Eric A. Storch
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Correspondence to Eric A. Storch.

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Storch, E.A., Bussing, R., Jacob, M.L. et al. Frequency and Correlates of Suicidal Ideation in Pediatric Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 46, 75–83 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-014-0453-7

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