Profiles of Suicide Attempted in Children and Adolescents in Cauca, Colombia 2016-2019

Abstract

Objective: Suicide attempt (SA) is the main predictive variable for completed suicide. The department of Cauca in Colombia has an SA rate higher than the national average, but the factors are unknown. The objective was to identify the profiles of SA in children and adolescents of Cauca. Methods: Cross-sectional study, which included all SA (Event-356) records from the SIVIGILA platform in children under 18 years of age between 2016-2019. We described the variables and multiple correspondence analyses (MCA) with the Burt method for 2017-2019, according with the completeness of the data to establish the possible SA profiles using STATA 15.1, and R. The Ethics Committee at Universidad del Cauca approved it. Results: The study found 977 SA during this period, 72.4% female, 97.1% adolescent, 74.4% mestizo, 19.3% indigenous, 45.3% resided in municipalities exposed to the armed conflict, 32.3% expressed ideation and previous attempts, and 15.5% prior attempts. The MCA included 810 SA and identified three profiles: “Classic”, which had mestizo adolescents with a history of prior SA, mental illness or psychoactive substance use problems; “Related to the armed conflict”, which included female adolescents with a first SA and residents in municipalities exposed to the armed conflict; “Ethnic” represented by male indigenous, with housing in a rural area. Conclusion: The SA profiles found in Cauca were “Classic”, “Related to the armed conflict”, and “Ethnic”; these can be taken into account to implement prevention strategies from a cross-cultural, mental health, and gender perspective, with the presence of the state in the territories.