Do Victimization and Hopelessness Relate to Suicidality Differently Across Sexual Orientation? Evidence from the 2015–2023 U.S. Youth Risk Behavior Surveys

Introduction: Suicidal behaviors among adolescents are increasing globally, yet the differences between educational levels remain unclear, which hinders the design of specific prevention strategies. Objective: To compare suicidal behaviors (ideation, risk factors, and depression) between middle school and high school students in Pachuca and San Agustín Tlaxiaca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional, comparative, non-experimental study was conducted with 38 students (20 middle school students, 18 high school students) aged 14 to 18 years. Three instruments were applied: a test to assess the risk level of suicidal ideation and behavior, a risk factor guide, and the PHQ-9 depression questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Middle school students had a higher proportion of high risk for suicidal behaviors (30.00%) compared to high school students (5.56%). A high level of depression was found only in high school seniors (11.11%). Both groups showed similar proportions of high risk based on risk factors (25.00% in middle school and 22.22% in high school). A significant positive correlation (ρ = 0.52) was found between suicidal thoughts and risk factors (p < 0.05). The Mann-Whitney U test revealed no significant differences between groups. (U = 145.5; p = 0.312). Conclusions: Although no statistically significant differences were found between educational levels and the groups were confounded by institution, municipality, and age, a trend toward a higher proportion of high risk for suicidal behaviors was observed in middle school students and of high depression in high school students. These findings should be interpreted with caution and support the need for prevention programs tailored to each educational level, to be confirmed in studies with greater statistical power and adjustment for confounders.

Abstract Background Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental illness associated with emotional and functional impairment, elevated suicide risk, and high individual and societal costs. BPD is under-researched in the general population, especially among males, and from a developmental perspective. We examined the prevalence and development of BPD symptoms in young men and explored the longitudinal associations with risk-taking behaviors. Methods Data came from the prospective-longitudinal Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF), a population sample of young men. Participants were screened for BPD risk using the McLean Screening Instrument (MSI-BPD) at mean age 25 (2016–2018; n = 5,516) and again at mean age 28 (2019–2020; n = 5,367). Risk-taking behaviors (e.g., interpersonal violence, gambling, substance use) were self-reported at both time points. Multilevel regression models examined within-person changes in BPD symptoms, including self-harm, and risk-taking behaviors over time. Results 7.4% of participants had a high risk of BPD, defined by endorsing 7 + MSI-BPD items at least once. Among those with 7 + items endorsed at the first assessment, 29.5% still endorsed 7 + items three years later. Despite a general within-person decline in BPD symptoms with age, participants at initially high risk for BPD continued to exhibit elevated levels of risk-taking behaviors after three years. Conclusion BPD symptomatology affects a substantial proportion of young men. Despite its modest stability over time, it is associated with persistent engagement in various risk-taking behaviors. Interventions targeting BPD symptoms in male populations may offer a promising avenue towards mitigating substantial psychosocial burden associated with these behaviors.

Although knowledge and stigma about suicide are important factors in suicide prevention, there are no validated instruments available in Hungary. Our goal was to validate the Literacy of Suicide Scale—Short Form (LOSS-SF) and the Stigma of Suicide Scale—Short Form (SOSS-SF) in Hungarian. An anonymous online survey was administered to a self-selected online convenience sample of 954 participants of 38.0 years (SD: 14.8) of age. Our study used a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional design. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicate a good model fit for a three-factor structure of the SOSS-SF scale. Invariance testing revealed that the scale is valid across gender, age and former suicide ideation. LOSS-SF had an acceptable unidimensional model fit as a two-parameter logistic (2PL) IRT (Item Response Theory) based survey, and results showed good infit–outfit with appropriate item discrimination and difficulty measures. The results show that the two instruments show sound psychometric properties and construct validity within this sample. While the Hungarian versions of the SOSS-SF and the LOSS-SF provide useful tools for assessing suicide stigma and suicide literacy in research settings, further validation on nationally representative samples may be required in case population-level norms are needed to inform national policy-makers.

Background Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is common during adolescence and is associated with substantial psychological burden and elevated subsequent suicide risk. Physical activity (PA) may be a modifiable correlate of NSSI, but prospective evidence on potential emotional mechanisms and social boundary conditions remains limited. This study examined whether baseline PA was associated with subsequent NSSI, whether anxiety symptoms accounted for part of that association, and whether baseline social support moderated the relevant pathways. Methods A school-based two-wave cohort of 756 Chinese adolescents and young students (mean age = 17.36 years, SD = 2.58; 51.7% female) was followed for 6 months. At Time 1 (T1), participants reported PA, social support, anxiety symptoms, NSSI, and demographic characteristics; anxiety and NSSI were reassessed at Time 2 (T2). Autoregressive regression models adjusted for baseline anxiety or NSSI as appropriate, together with age, gender, and urban/rural residence. Indirect effects were estimated with 5,000 bootstrap resamples, and interaction terms were used to examine first- and second-stage moderation. Results Higher T1 PA was associated with lower T2 NSSI after adjustment for T1 NSSI. The indirect association through T2 anxiety was −0.12 [95% CI (−0.18, −0.06)], representing 48.0% of the reported total association. T1 social support significantly moderated the T1 PA-T2 anxiety association ( p = 0.003); simple-slope estimates indicated a stronger inverse PA-anxiety association at higher social support. Social support did not significantly moderate the T2 anxiety-T2 NSSI association ( p = 0.281). Conclusion The findings are consistent with a model in which greater PA is prospectively associated with lower NSSI partly through lower subsequent anxiety, while social support may shape the PA-anxiety link. Because anxiety and NSSI were measured concurrently at follow-up, the indirect effect should not be interpreted as definitive causal mediation. Multi-wave and intervention studies are needed to establish temporal ordering and causality.