Association between Early Spermarche and Suicide Attempts in Boys: the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey

Abstract

Background Puberty is a biologically and psychologically unstable period, and pubertal changes differ by sex. However, most previous studies on pubertal timing and suicide have focused on girls. This study investigated the association between early spermarche and suicide attempts in boys. Methods We analyzed a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescents (The Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey, KYRBS) that included approximately 35,000 boys annually from 2011 to 2015. Pubertal timing in boys was defined by spermarche. Complex sampling logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the odds ratios (ORs) for suicide attempts between the early and average spermarche groups. Results The ORs for suicide attempts in boys with early spermarche were significantly higher than those in boys with average spermarche after adjustment for age, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. The ORs from 2011 to 2015 were as follows: 1.782 ( P < 0.001), 1.490 ( P = 0.002), 1.693 ( P < 0.001), 1.541 ( P = 0.001), and 1.393 (1.024–1.895; P = 0.035), respectively. Conclusion These findings suggest that early pubertal timing is a risk factor for suicide attempts in Korean boys after adjustment for depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and suicidal ideation, which have been previously reported as risk factors for suicide attempts. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to the prevention of suicide in boys who experience early spermarche in Korea.

Factors Affecting Body Image Distortion in Adolescents

“…To check the distortion of the body image according to the index definition of the 2017 Adolescent Health Behavior Online Survey Raw Data Usage Guidelines [ 9 ], the 85th percentile of normal weight or underweight, referred to as the body mass index (BMI) by age [ 10 ] of the 2007 growth chart for children and adolescents, 41,124 adolescents with fewer than the number were finally analyzed. This study was approved for exemption from deliberation by the Bioethics Committee of a public institution (NO: P01-202208-01-027, date of approval 17 August 2022).…”