Objective: To investigate associations between suicidal behaviours, including suicidal ideation and attempts, and poor peer and parental relationships in a nationally representative sample of Canadian adolescents aged 12 to 13 years. Methods:We used Statistics Canada's National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth as the dataset. This cross-sectional sample included 1049 girls and 1041 boys aged 12 to 13 years. We obtained answers to self-report questionnaires that included measures of peer relationships, parental nurturance, and parental rejection, as well as information regarding suicidal ideation and attempts. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were used for the analysis. We included depression in the multiple logistic regression analysis. Analyses were run separately for boys and girls. Results:The unadjusted logistic regression models found that, among early adolescent boys and girls, depression, poor peer relationships, decreased parental nurturance, and increased parental rejection were all significantly associated with suicidal ideation and attempts. However, after adjusting for all other variables in the multiple logistic regression models, poor peer relationships were no longer significantly associated with suicidal ideation among early adolescent boys and were only weakly associated among early adolescent girls. Conclusions:Poor parental relationships and depression were more powerfully associated with suicidal ideation and attempts than were peer relationships in a nationally representative sample of boys and girls aged 12 to 13 years, and these factors may be important early intervention targets. (Can J Psychiatry 2006;51:698-703) Information on funding and support and author affiliations appears at the end of the article. Clinical Implications· It is important to target early interventions toward identifying and treating depression in early adolescents. · For early adolescents, parental relationships may also be an important treatment target to prevent suicidal behaviours. · Differences between early adolescent boys and girls require further research to determine whether they translate into differing interventions. Limitations· Data were collected entirely by self-report. · The cross-sectional study design limits any interpretation in regard to possible causality among any of the variables examined. · Demographic information, such as socioeconomic status and ethnicity, was not controlled.

Although suicidal ideation and suicide attempts represent a significant source of evaluated need associated with help seeking and perceived need over and above the presence and severity of mental disorders, a significant proportion of individuals with suicidal behaviors did not receive care and did not perceive a need for care. Future research should be directed toward finding better ways to identify these individuals and address barriers to their care and other factors that may interfere with their receiving help.

Although suicidal ideation and suicide attempts represent a significant source of evaluated need associated with help seeking and perceived need over and above the presence and severity of mental disorders, a significant proportion of individuals with suicidal behaviors did not receive care and did not perceive a need for care. Future research should be directed toward finding better ways to identify these individuals and address barriers to their care and other factors that may interfere with their receiving help.

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