ASSOCIATION OF MATERNAL, ANTENATAL AND PERINATAL COMPLICATIONS WITH SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENCE AND YOUNG ADULTHOOD

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether maternal, ante natal and perinatal complications are associated with adolescent or yo ung adulthood suicide in offspring. Cases consisted of individuals, ag ed 15-22 years, born in New York City and committing suicide in New Yo rk City between 1985 and 1991 (n=189). Two controls were selected for each case, constituting the hospital birth immediately preceding and f ollowing that of the case, matched with the case with regard to sex an d ethnicity. Cases were compared with controls using an index that sum med a range of maternal, antenatal and perinatal complications and als o with regard to the frequency of individual complications. In the tot al sample, cases and controls did not differ either in the mean number of all complications combined or in the proportions with specific com plications. This lack of association between complications and outcome also obtained in separate analyses by sex, ethnicity, socio-economic status and age at suicide, These results fail to replicate the finding s of two previous reports implicating maternal, antenatal and perinata l complications in risk of youth suicide. At present, epidemiological evidence that adverse reproductive events increase the risk for suicid e in offspring remains inconclusive.