The association between traumatic experiences and suicide attempt in patients treated at the Hospital de Pronto Socorro in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze associations between attempted suicide and childhood trauma. METHODS: A seven month comparative case-control study (28 subjects - patients with suicide attempt; 56 controls - patients without suicide attempt). The following instruments were used: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), and Medical Outcomes Study (MOS). RESULTS: The group with suicide attempt had significantly higher scores for some variables: emotional abuse (p < 0.001), physical abuse (p < 0.001), emotional neglect (p < 0.001), and physical neglect (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that variables related to previous trauma may influence future suicide attempts. The adoption of preventive and therapeutic actions related to mistreatments during child development is a crucial factor in reduction of suicide risk.