Correlates of Suicidal Ideation in a Community Sample of Children and Adolescents

The correlates of suicidal ideation were studied in a community sample of 210 children and adolescents. Psychopathology of the child by the child's report and by the parent's report was analyzed, as well as analysis of the psychopathology of the parent. Fourteen percent of the children in this sample reported suicidal ideation. Parents were generally not aware of their children's suicidal ideations. Children who reported suicidal ideation showed significantly more psychopathology than children who did not. The parents of children with suicidal ideation reported that their children had more externalizing but fewer internalizing symptoms than reported by their children. Parents of children who reported suicidal ideations were themselves experiencing a greater intensity of psychological distress. The implications of these results are discussed.