ADDICTION-RISK BEHAVIORS AND SUICIDE ATTEMPTS IN ADOLESCENTS

Data on single and multiple addiction-risk behaviours and suicidal beh aviour were obtained from a large sample of Dutch secondary school stu dents aged 16 to 19 years. Although the prevalence of hard drugs was t he lowest of all addiction-risk behaviours, there was a markedly high report of suicidal behaviours in youngsters who used these drugs: one out of each five boys and one out of each three girls. The most ''suic idal'' combination of two addiction-risk behaviours reported by girls was that of sedatives and hard drugs: more than half of the girls who reported both these behaviours also reported a suicide attempt. In boy s, 27% of those who reported sedatives and cigarettes also reported a suicide attempt. The number of addiction-risk behaviours reported by t he adolescents showed an almost linear increasing relation with the pe rcentage of suicide attempters. The results suggest that suicidal beha viour and addiction-risk behaviours both should be regarded as part of a complex interaction of multiple behavioural problems. Prevention pr ogrammes and intervention strategies should focus on multiple rather t han single targets, and screening procedures to detect adolescents at- risk for suicidal behaviour should focus on patterns of multiple risk factors rather than on single behaviours. (C) 1998 The Association in Services for Adolescents.