Suicidal Thoughts in Young Adulthood: Differences in Recent Risk Factors between Dutch Male and Female Young Adults with Suicidal Thoughts

In the Netherlands, there has been an increase in suicide rates among young adults (20 to 30 years) in the past two years and since 2022 there has been almost a doubling of young people with suicidal thoughts compared to 2021. Because of this rise, we want to gain a deeper insight into factors that might contribute to suicidal thoughts and possible differences between men and women. This is because gender differences are found in suicidal ideation. By exploring risk factors and possible gender differences, early gender-specific interventions can be made. The current study combines quantitative and qualitative data to reach insights by analyzing survey data (N = 1367) and talking with young adults (having suicidal thoughts in the past two years but no active ideation; n = 19) risk factors are explored and interpreted. The analyses conducted were univariate and multivariate LRAs. After a Holm-Bonferroni correction, problems in Mental Health (p < .001), Loneliness (p < .001), and...Show moreIn the Netherlands, there has been an increase in suicide rates among young adults (20 to 30 years) in the past two years and since 2022 there has been almost a doubling of young people with suicidal thoughts compared to 2021. Because of this rise, we want to gain a deeper insight into factors that might contribute to suicidal thoughts and possible differences between men and women. This is because gender differences are found in suicidal ideation. By exploring risk factors and possible gender differences, early gender-specific interventions can be made. The current study combines quantitative and qualitative data to reach insights by analyzing survey data (N = 1367) and talking with young adults (having suicidal thoughts in the past two years but no active ideation; n = 19) risk factors are explored and interpreted. The analyses conducted were univariate and multivariate LRAs. After a Holm-Bonferroni correction, problems in Mental Health (p < .001), Loneliness (p < .001), and Trauma (p = .001) were positively associated with suicidal thoughts and Social Support (p = .001) was negatively associated with suicidal thoughts. We tentatively conclude that these risk factors play a role in both men and women, and it is important to support all young adults in these fields. It is recommended in further research to separate young adults having recent and long-term suicidal thoughts to gain a deeper understanding of the increase in the past two years.Show less

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Suicidal Thoughts in Young Adulthood: Differences in Recent Risk Factors between Dutch Male and Female Young Adults with Suicidal Thoughts