Important Variables When Screening for Students at Suicidal Risk

Findings from the French Cohort of the Seyle Study

Bibliographic Data

ID15470850
AuthorsJean‐Pierre Kahn (0000-0003-2136-8640, Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire de Nancy, corresponding author), Jean-Pierre Kahn (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, Hôpitaux de Brabois, Vandoeuvre les Nancy 54511, France), Alexandra Tubiana (Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, Laxou 54520, France), Renaud F Cohen (0000-0001-6900-7786), Renaud Cohen (Centre Psychothérapique de Nancy, Laxou 54520, France), Vladimir Carli (0000-0001-6922-0675, Karolinska Institutet), Camilla Wasserman (New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute), Christina W Hoven (0000-0003-1274-2936, Columbia University), Christina Hoven (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA), Marco Sarchiapone (0000-0001-9583-3117, University of Molise), Danuta Wasserman (0000-0002-8436-3989, Karolinska Institutet)
Year2015
Volume12
Issue10
Pages12277-12290
Publication date2015-09-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph121012277
PMID26437422
OpenAlexW2118253531
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited21

Due to early detection of mental ill-health being an important suicide preventive strategy, the multi-centre EU funded "Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe" (SEYLE) study compared three school-based mental health promotion programs to a control group. In France, 1007 students with a mean age of 15.2 years were recruited from 20 randomly assigned schools. This paper explores the French results of the SEYLE's two-stage screening program (ProfScreen) and of the cross-program suicidal emergency procedure. Two-hundred-thirty-five ProfScreen students were screened using 13 psychopathological and risk behaviour scales. Students considered at risk because of a positive finding on one or more scales were offered a clinical interview and, if necessary, referred for treatment. A procedure for suicidal students (emergency cases) was set up to detect emergencies in the whole cohort (n = 1007). Emergency cases were offered the same clinical interview as the ProfScreen students. The interviewers documented their reasons for referrals in a short report. 16,2% of the ProfScreen students (38/235) were referred to treatment and 2,7% of the emergency cases (27/1007) were also referred to treatment due to high suicidal risk. Frequent symptoms in those students referred for evaluation were depression, alcohol misuse, non-suicidal self-injuries (NSSI), and suicidal behaviours. According to the multivariate regression analysis of ProfScreen, the results show that the best predictors for treatment referral were NSSI (OR 2.85), alcohol misuse (OR 2.80), and depressive symptoms (OR 1.13). Analysis of the proportion for each scale of students referred to treatment showed that poor social relationships (60%), anxiety (50%), and suicidal behaviours (50%) generated the highest rate of referrals. Qualitative analysis of clinician's motivations to refer a student to mental health services revealed that depressive symptoms (51%), anxiety (38%), suicidal behaviours (40%), and negative life events (35%) were the main reasons for referrals. Thus, not only the classical psychopathological symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviours, but also negative life events and poor social relationships (especially isolation) motivate referrals for treatment

Cohort · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Internal Medicine

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