RESUMEN
Introduction: In Saudi Arabia, depressive disorders areranked as the fifth of 10 top causes of death and it accounts for5 % of all deaths. Although there are a wide range of factorsassociated with suicidal ideation include social anddemographic factors and related health issues, depression isthe most important risk factor of suicidal behavior whichcharacterized by suicidal ideation, planning and attempts. Thisstudy aimed to identify prevalence and sociodemographicdeterminants of suicidal ideation among depressive patients.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in adultpatients diagnosed with depression and attended theoutpatient clinics located at Mental Health Hospital in Jeddahcity. A random sample of 213 patients was selected and thequestionnaires were distributed to collect data aboutdemographics and 21 depression items of Beck DepressionInventory-II. The scores of the depression items were summedto indicate the severity of the depression. The frequencies andpercentages were calculated for demographics and presentedin tables. Chi-square test, Spearman’s correlations, andregression analysis were conducted to identify significantassociations and predictors at 0.05 level of significance.Results: The prevalence of suicidal ideation amongthose depressive patients was 37.6%. The depression wassevere in about 47% of the patients and minimal inapproximately 20% of the patients. The associations betweensuicidal ideation and each of marital status, occupation,age, and depression severity were found statically significant(p<0.05), while association between gender and suicidalideation was not statistically significant (p= 0.311). The findingsof logistic regression show that age and depression severityare significant predictors for suicidal ideation. Patients whoaged > 44 years old have 2.3 less risk to develop suicidal ideasthan those aged ≤44 years old. The increase in depressionseverity by one degree, such as from mild to moderate, willincrease the risk of suicidal ideation by 4.1 times.Conclusions: A high prevalence of suicidal ideation wasdetected among Saudi depressive patients. The multivariateanalysis reveals that only age and depression severity wassignificant predictors for suicidal ideation.