Suicide attempt predicted by academic performance and childhood IQ: a cohort study of 26 000 children

A. So¨rberg Wallin; Z. Zeebari; A. Lager; D. Gunnell; P. Allebeck; D. Falkstedt

doi:10.1111/acps.12817

Suicide attempt predicted by academic performance and childhood IQ: a cohort study of 26 000 children

A. So¨rberg Wallin^*, Z. Zeebari, A. Lager, D. Gunnell, P. Allebeck, D. Falkstedt

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

42 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Objective: Academic performance in youth, measured by grade point average (GPA), predicts suicide attempt, but the mechanisms are not known. It has been suggested that general intelligence might underlie the association.

Methods: We followed 26 315 Swedish girls and boys in population-representative cohorts, up to maximum 46 years of age, for the first suicide attempt in hospital records. Associations between GPA at age 16, IQ measured in school at age 13 and suicide attempt were investigated in Cox regressions and mediation analyses.

Results: There was a clear graded association between lower GPA and subsequent suicide attempt. With control for potential confounders, those in the lowest GPA quartile had a near five-fold risk (HR 4.9, 95% CI 3.7-6.7) compared to those in the highest quartile. In a mediation analysis, the association between GPA and suicide attempt was robust, while the association between IQ and suicide attempt was fully mediated by GPA.

Conclusions: Poor academic performance in compulsory school, at age 16, was a robust predictor of suicide attempt past young adulthood and seemed to account for the association between lower childhood IQ and suicide attempt.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	277-286
Number of pages	10
Journal	Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
Volume	137
Issue number	4
Early online date	8 Nov 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.12817
Publication status	Published - 1 Apr 2018

Research Groups and Themes

SASH

Keywords

Educational status
Intelligence
Self-injurious behaviour
Suicide attempted

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1111/acps.12817

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title = "Suicide attempt predicted by academic performance and childhood IQ: a cohort study of 26 000 children",

abstract = "Objective: Academic performance in youth, measured by grade point average (GPA), predicts suicide attempt, but the mechanisms are not known. It has been suggested that general intelligence might underlie the association. Methods: We followed 26 315 Swedish girls and boys in population-representative cohorts, up to maximum 46 years of age, for the first suicide attempt in hospital records. Associations between GPA at age 16, IQ measured in school at age 13 and suicide attempt were investigated in Cox regressions and mediation analyses. Results: There was a clear graded association between lower GPA and subsequent suicide attempt. With control for potential confounders, those in the lowest GPA quartile had a near five-fold risk (HR 4.9, 95% CI 3.7-6.7) compared to those in the highest quartile. In a mediation analysis, the association between GPA and suicide attempt was robust, while the association between IQ and suicide attempt was fully mediated by GPA. Conclusions: Poor academic performance in compulsory school, at age 16, was a robust predictor of suicide attempt past young adulthood and seemed to account for the association between lower childhood IQ and suicide attempt.",

keywords = "Educational status, Intelligence, Self-injurious behaviour, Suicide attempted",

author = "{So¨rberg Wallin}, A. and Z. Zeebari and A. Lager and D. Gunnell and P. Allebeck and D. Falkstedt",

year = "2018",

month = apr,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1111/acps.12817",

language = "English",

volume = "137",

pages = "277--286",

journal = "Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica",

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T1 - Suicide attempt predicted by academic performance and childhood IQ

T2 - a cohort study of 26 000 children

AU - So¨rberg Wallin, A.

AU - Zeebari, Z.

AU - Lager, A.

AU - Gunnell, D.

AU - Allebeck, P.

AU - Falkstedt, D.

PY - 2018/4/1

Y1 - 2018/4/1

N2 - Objective: Academic performance in youth, measured by grade point average (GPA), predicts suicide attempt, but the mechanisms are not known. It has been suggested that general intelligence might underlie the association. Methods: We followed 26 315 Swedish girls and boys in population-representative cohorts, up to maximum 46 years of age, for the first suicide attempt in hospital records. Associations between GPA at age 16, IQ measured in school at age 13 and suicide attempt were investigated in Cox regressions and mediation analyses. Results: There was a clear graded association between lower GPA and subsequent suicide attempt. With control for potential confounders, those in the lowest GPA quartile had a near five-fold risk (HR 4.9, 95% CI 3.7-6.7) compared to those in the highest quartile. In a mediation analysis, the association between GPA and suicide attempt was robust, while the association between IQ and suicide attempt was fully mediated by GPA. Conclusions: Poor academic performance in compulsory school, at age 16, was a robust predictor of suicide attempt past young adulthood and seemed to account for the association between lower childhood IQ and suicide attempt.

AB - Objective: Academic performance in youth, measured by grade point average (GPA), predicts suicide attempt, but the mechanisms are not known. It has been suggested that general intelligence might underlie the association. Methods: We followed 26 315 Swedish girls and boys in population-representative cohorts, up to maximum 46 years of age, for the first suicide attempt in hospital records. Associations between GPA at age 16, IQ measured in school at age 13 and suicide attempt were investigated in Cox regressions and mediation analyses. Results: There was a clear graded association between lower GPA and subsequent suicide attempt. With control for potential confounders, those in the lowest GPA quartile had a near five-fold risk (HR 4.9, 95% CI 3.7-6.7) compared to those in the highest quartile. In a mediation analysis, the association between GPA and suicide attempt was robust, while the association between IQ and suicide attempt was fully mediated by GPA. Conclusions: Poor academic performance in compulsory school, at age 16, was a robust predictor of suicide attempt past young adulthood and seemed to account for the association between lower childhood IQ and suicide attempt.

KW - Educational status

KW - Intelligence

KW - Self-injurious behaviour

KW - Suicide attempted

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ER -

Suicide attempt predicted by academic performance and childhood IQ: a cohort study of 26 000 children

Abstract

Research Groups and Themes

Keywords

UN SDGs

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NIHR BRC Mental Health

Cite this

Suicide attempt predicted by academic performance and childhood IQ: a cohort study of 26 000 children

Abstract

Research Groups and Themes

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Handle.net

Other files and links

Embargoed Document

Fingerprint

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NIHR BRC Mental Health

Cite this