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Suicide attempts more common in individuals with arthritis

Suicide attempts were more common among individuals with arthritis than those without the disorder, particularly if they were younger, according to recent findings.

“When we focused on adults with arthritis, we found that those who had experienced chronic parental domestic violence or sexual abuse during their childhood had more than three times the odds of suicide attempts, compared to adults with arthritis who had not experienced these childhood adversities. The magnitude of these associations with suicide attempts was comparable to that associated with depression, the most well-known risk factor for suicide attempts,” Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD, of the University of Toronto, said in a press release.

To determine risk for suicide among individuals with arthritis and associated risk factors, researchers conducted secondary analysis of the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health for 21,744 individuals, of whom 4,885 had arthritis.

When adjusting for sociodemographics, childhood adversities, lifetime mental health and chronic pain, odds for suicide attempt among adults with arthritis was 1.46.

Early adversities explained 24% of the variability in suicide attempts among individuals with arthritis.

After full adjustment, risk for suicide attempts among individuals with arthritis were significantly higher among those who experienced childhood sexual abuse (OR = 3.77), chronic parental domestic violence (OR = 3.97), childhood physical abuse (OR = 1.82), had ever been addicted to drugs or alcohol (OR = 1.76), had a depressive disorder (OR = 3.22) or anxiety disorder (OR = 2.34), or currently experienced chronic pain (OR = 1.5).

Younger adults with arthritis were more likely to attempt suicide, according to researchers.

“Due to the cross-sectional nature of this survey we cannot establish causality,” study researcher Stephanie Baird, MSW, a PhD student at the University of Toronto, said in the release. “We do not know when the arthritis began nor when the suicide attempts occurred. It is possible that other factors that were not available in the survey may confound the relationship. For example, childhood poverty, has been strongly linked to both the development of arthritis and suicide risk.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.