Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27762177›Full record

ArticlePsychological medicine2017

Childhood adversity and midlife suicidal ideation.

S A Stansfeld, C Clark, M Smuk, C Power, T Davidson, B Rodgers

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Psychological medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
5.8field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 69 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Review: Suicide and its relationship to aggression and impulsivity.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2025
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

S A StansfeldCentre for Psychiatry,Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine,Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry,Queen Mary University of London,London EC1M 6BQ,UK.
C ClarkCentre for Psychiatry,Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine,Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry,Queen Mary University of London,London EC1M 6BQ,UK.
M SmukCentre for Psychiatry,Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine,Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry,Queen Mary University of London,London EC1M 6BQ,UK.
C PowerPopulation,Policy and Practice,University College London,Institute of Child Health,30 Guilford Street,London WC1N 1EH,UK.
T DavidsonCentre for Gambling Research,School of Sociology,Beryl Rawson Building,The Australian National University,Acton,ACT 2601,Australia.
B RodgersSchool of Demography,The Australian National University,Acton,ACT 2601,Australia.
Queen Mary University of London · GBAustralian National University · AUUniversity College London · GB

Funding

Department of HealthMedical Research Council G0000934
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildhood adversity predicts adolescent suicidal ideation but there are few studies examining whether the risk of childhood adversity extends to suicidal ideation in midlife. We hypothesized that childhood adversity predicts midlife suicidal ideation and this is partially mediated by adolescent internalizing disorders, externalizing disorders and adult exposure to life events and interpersonal difficulties.

methodAt 45 years, 9377 women and men from the UK 1958 British Birth Cohort Study participated in a clinical survey. Childhood adversity was prospectively assessed at the ages of 7, 11 and 16 years. Suicidal ideation at midlife was assessed by the depressive ideas subscale of the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule. Internalizing and externalizing disorders were measured by the Rutter scales at 16 years. Life events, periods of unemployment, partnership separations and alcohol dependence were measured through adulthood.

resultsIllness in the household, paternal absence, institutional care, parental divorce and retrospective reports of parental physical and sexual abuse predicted suicidal ideation at 45 years. Three or more childhood adversities were associated with suicidal ideation at 45 years [odds ratio (OR) 4.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.67-6.94]. Psychological distress at 16 years partially mediated the associations of physical abuse (OR 3.41, 95% CI 2.29-5.75), sexual abuse (OR 4.99, 95% CI 2.90-11.16) with suicidal ideation. Adult life events partially mediated the association of parental divorce (OR 6.34, 95% CI -7.16 to 36.75) and physical (OR 9.59, 95% CI 4.97-27.88) and sexual abuse (OR 6.59, 95% CI 2.40-38.36) with suicidal ideation at 45 years.

conclusionsAdversity in childhood predicts suicidal ideation in midlife, partially mediated by adolescent internalizing and externalizing disorders, adult life events and interpersonal difficulties. Understanding the pathways from adversity to suicidal ideation can inform suicide prevention and the targeting of preventive interventions.

Indexed as

Interpersonal RelationsSuicidal IdeationAdolescentAdultAdult Survivors of Child Adverse EventsChildHumansLongitudinal StudiesMental DisordersMiddle AgedStress, PsychologicalUnited KingdomYoung AdultAdversitychildhood psychological disorderscohort studiessuicide

Identifiers

PMID27762177
PMCPMC5216460
OpenAlexW2538886833

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.