Journal
JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH
Volume 60, Issue 4, Pages 380-387Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.09.019
Keywords
Adolescent; Alcohol use; Suicidal thoughts; Peer victimization; Self-medication model; Secondary mental health model
Funding
- Fonds de Recherche en Sante du Quebec [981055, 991027]
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [839-2000-1008, 410-99-1048]
- Fonds de recherche du Quebec - Societe et culture [2002-RS-79238, 2009-RG-124779]
- Fonds Monique Gaumond pour la recherche en maladies affectives
- Canadian Institutes for Health Research [MOP 44072, MOP-97910]
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Purpose: Recent years have seen increased coverage of adolescent victimization and suicide. Both adolescent peer victimization and substance use have been associated with suicidal ideation, with evidence suggesting that all three factors are interrelated. There are at least four models which can explain the associations between these factors (i.e., self-medication, secondary mental disorder, bidirectional, and common factor). However, none of themis being empirically supported as the dominant model because few longitudinal studies have explored the association between these factors. Methods: The present study compared longitudinal paths of all four models simultaneously using a cross-lagged model. This was done using self-reported measures of peer victimization, suicidal ideation, and alcohol use at age 13, 14, and 15 years in a longitudinal sample of 238 adolescents. Results: All three variables were moderately stable across time. Significant cross-lagged associations were found, showing that frequent peer victimization at age 13 years was associated with higher odds of having suicidal ideation at age 14 years (odds ratio, 1.82; p <.05). In turn, presence of suicidal ideation at age 14 years was significantly associated with higher alcohol use frequency at age 15 years (beta = .13; p <.05). Conclusions: Results support previous literature suggesting that peer victimization predates alcohol use and extends it by showing clear directionality between suicidal ideation and alcohol use over 1 year, supporting the self-medication model. Clarifying the empirical basis of these underlying models could allow for earlier prevention strategies, by targeting the risk factor that appears the earliest in the model. (C) 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.
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