Association Between Suicidal Behaviour and Cannabis and Tranquilizer use, Depression, Aggression and Other Borderline Personality Traits Among Students in Sincelejo, Colombia.

OBJECTIVE: This objective of this study is to examine the association between suicidal behaviour and substance use, depression, aggressiveness and borderline personality traits among adolescents from Sincelejo, a rural city in the north of Colombia. METHODS: This cross sectional study included 352 participants selected by purposive sampling, from a public and a private school located in Sincelejo, Sucre district, in the north of Colombia. Students ages ranged from 12 to 18 years old (mean, 15.09±1.82). The participants completed three screening tools: a socio-demographic questionnaire, a screening instrument to collect information related to the frequency of use of some substances, such as tobacco and cannabis, and a self-report inventory to assess various personality and psychopathology domains. A series of t-tests, ANOVA and linear regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Physical aggression (t=7.74; p <0.01), cognitive depression (t=5.03; p <0.01), affective depression (t=8.24; p <0.01), affective instability (t=3.46; p <0.01), few social relationships (t=3.36; p <0.01), self-harm (t=3.45; p<.01), cannabis and tranquilizer use (t=2.83; p <0.05; and t=2.37; p <0.05) had a significant independent relationship with suicidal behaviour. Aggression (t=2.59; p <0.05), components of depression (t=9.03; p <0.01) and borderline personality traits (t=4.12; p <0.01) also predicted suicidal behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: More longitudinal studies are needed in this area to identify the causal relations between the factors studied and the suicidal behaviour of young people in Sincelejo.

Association Between Suicidal Behaviour and Cannabis and Tranquilizer use, Depression, Aggression and Other Borderline Personality Traits Among Students in Sincelejo, Colombia

Objective: This objective of this study is to examine the association between suicidal behaviour and substance use, depression, aggressiveness and borderline personality traits among adolescents from Sincelejo, a rural city in the north of Colombia. Methods: This cross sectional study included 352 participants selected by purposive sampling, from a public and a private school located in Sincelejo, Sucre district, in the north of Colombia. Students ages ranged from 12 to 18 years old (mean, 15.09 ± 1.82). The participants completed three screening tools: a socio-demographic questionnaire, a screening instrument to collect information related to the frequency of use of some substances, such as tobacco and cannabis, and a self-report inventory to assess various personality and psychopathology domains. A series of t-tests, ANOVA and linear regression analyses were conducted. Results: Physical aggression (t = 7.74; p < 0.01), cognitive depression (t = 5.03; p < 0.01), affective depression (t = 8.24; p <0.01), affective instability (t = 3.46; p <0.01), few social relationships (t = 3.36; p < 0.01), self-harm (t = 3.45; p< .01), cannabis and tranquilizer use (t = 2.83; p < 0.05; and t = 2.37; p <0.05) had a significant independent relationship with suicidal behaviour. Aggression (t = 2.59; p <0.05), components of depression (t = 9.03; p <0.01) and borderline personality traits (t = 4.12; p <0.01) also predicted suicidal behaviour. Conclusions: More longitudinal studies are needed in this area to identify the causal relations between the factors studied and the suicidal behaviour of young people in Sincelejo.

Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio es examinar la asociación del comportamiento suicida con el consumo de sustancias, síntomas depresivos, agresividad y rasgos de personalidad límite en adolescentes de Sincelejo (Sucre), una ciudad rural del norte de Colombia. Métodos: Este estudio transversal incluyó a 352 participantes seleccionados por muestreo intencional de una escuela pública y privada ubicada en Sincelejo, distrito de Sucre, en el norte de Colombia. Las edades de los estudiantes oscilaron entre los 12 y los 18 anos (media, 15,09 ± 1,82). Los participantes completaron 3 instrumentos de cribado: uno de datos sociodemográficos, uno sobre consumo de algunas sustancias, tales como tabaco y cannabis, y su frecuencia y un instrumento de autoinforme para evaluar varios dominios de la personalidad y algunas psicopatologías. Se realizaron una serie de pruebas de la t, ANOVA y análisis de regresión lineal. Resultados: La agresión física (t = 7,74; p <0,01), el componente cognitivo de la depresión (t = 5,03; p <0,01), el componente afectivo de la depresión (t = 8,24; p <0,01), la inestabilidad afectiva (t = 3,46, p < 0,01), las pocas relaciones sociales (t = 3,36, p < 0,01), las autolesiones (p <0,01; t = 3,45, p <0,01), el cannabis (t = 2,83; p <0,05) y la toma de tranquilizantes (t = 2,37; p <0,05), se asociaron con el comportamiento suicida. La agresión (t = 2,59; p <0,05), los componentes de la depresión (t = 9,03; p <0,01) y los rasgos de personalidad límite (t = 4,12, p <0,01) predijeron el comportamiento suicida. Conclusiones: Se requieren más estudios longitudinales en esta área con el fin de identificar las relaciones causales entre los factores estudiados y el comportamiento suicida de los jóvenes en Sincelejo.

Association Between Suicidal Behaviour and Cannabis and Tranquilizer use, Depression, Aggression and Other Borderline Personality Traits Among Students in Sincelejo, Colombia.

OBJECTIVE: This objective of this study is to examine the association between suicidal behaviour and substance use, depression, aggressiveness and borderline personality traits among adolescents from Sincelejo, a rural city in the north of Colombia. METHODS: This cross sectional study included 352 participants selected by purposive sampling, from a public and a private school located in Sincelejo, Sucre district, in the north of Colombia. Students ages ranged from 12 to 18 years old (mean, 15.09±1.82). The participants completed three screening tools: a socio-demographic questionnaire, a screening instrument to collect information related to the frequency of use of some substances, such as tobacco and cannabis, and a self-report inventory to assess various personality and psychopathology domains. A series of t-tests, ANOVA and linear regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Physical aggression (t=7.74; p <0.01), cognitive depression (t=5.03; p <0.01), affective depression (t=8.24; p <0.01), affective instability (t=3.46; p <0.01), few social relationships (t=3.36; p <0.01), self-harm (t=3.45; p<.01), cannabis and tranquilizer use (t=2.83; p <0.05; and t=2.37; p <0.05) had a significant independent relationship with suicidal behaviour. Aggression (t=2.59; p <0.05), components of depression (t=9.03; p <0.01) and borderline personality traits (t=4.12; p <0.01) also predicted suicidal behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: More longitudinal studies are needed in this area to identify the causal relations between the factors studied and the suicidal behaviour of young people in Sincelejo.