Robinson KScharinger CBrown RCPlener PL2024-06-252024-06-252023-08-01Robinson K, Scharinger C, Brown RC, Plener PL. (2023). Communicating distress: suicide threats/gestures among clinical and community youth.. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 32. 8. (pp. 1497-1506).1018-8827https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/69998Although self-injurious thoughts and behaviors are a global health concern, little is known about suicidal threat/gesture(s) where a person leads others to believe they want to end their lives when they have no intention to do so. This study assessed the lifetime prevalence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among both community adolescents (n = 1117) and in clinical youth (n = 191). Suicide threats/gestures were common among youth; 12.2% of community adolescents and 18.0% of clinical youth reporting having made a suicide threat/gesture, most commonly in the context of other self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Across both samples, suicide threats/gestures were not uniquely associated with suicide attempts, and youth who reported suicide threats/gestures in the context of a history of self-harm or suicide plan(s) were no more likely to report a history of suicide attempt(s). Suicide threats/gestures were distinguished from suicide attempts in that they primarily fulfilled positive social functions, rather than autonomic functions. Findings suggest that suicidal threats/gestures are common in both community and clinical youth, and are not uniquely associated with suicide attempts, but rather function to communicate distress to others.(c) 2022 The Author/sCC BY 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/AdolescenceNon-suicidal self-injurySelf-harmSuicidal behaviorSuicide gestureSuicide threatHumansAdolescentSuicide, AttemptedGesturesSuicidal IdeationSelf-Injurious BehaviorPrevalenceRisk FactorsJournal article10.1007/s00787-022-01960-51435-165Xjournal-article1497-1506https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3522616410.1007/s00787-022-01960-5