Association of Defecation Disorders with Suicidal Ideation in Young Adult with Chronic Abdominal Discomfort

Abstract Background The role of physical symptoms on suicidal ideation in adolescents is incompletely understood. The purpose of this study was to discover the potential physical symptoms predictors for suicidal ideation in college freshmen. Methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted in a randomly selected freshmen population in Wuhan China ( N  = 2449). Questionnaire evaluated suicidal ideation as well as related psychosocial risks and gastrointestinal (GI) physical symptoms. The association between the suicidal ideation and potential predictors was analyzed by Mann–Whitney test and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 2053 (83.8%) completed this survey and 64 (3.1%) was reported to have suicidal ideation. Anxiety (OR 5.44(2.40–12.35)), depression (OR 8.36(3.90–17.94)) and chronic abdominal discomfort (OR 2.06(1.07–3.94)) were independent predictors for suicidal ideation. In freshmen with chronic abdominal discomfort, interestingly, defecation disorder( P  = 0.01) and low satisfaction of defecation ( P  = 0.04) was associated with high risk for suicidal ideation. Conclusion Defecation disorders were associated with high risk of suicidal intention in young adult with chronic abdominal discomfort. Our result implied that clinicians should be vigilant for suicidal ideation in chronic abdominal discomfort patients, especially those with defecation disorders.