Impulsivity and suicidal intentionality in young suicide victims

Suicidal behavior among young people is a major public health concern worldwide. It is recognized that the determinism of these problematic behaviors is governed as much by environmental factors as by psychopathological factors such as personality traits. We conducted a cross-sectional study of suicidal youth to identify the relationship between suicidal intentionality and impulsivity and the factors associated with them. We used the BECK Suicidal Intentionality Scale and the Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Suicidal intentionality was rated as strong in half the suicidal subjects. It was strongly correlated with premeditation. The prevalence of trait impulsivity was 72.1%. It was correlated with alcohol consumption, low somatic severity and the presence of a personality disorder. High suicidal intentionality was significantly correlated with impulsivity. These results suggest that targeting young people with such impulsive vulnerability could be one of the most effective approaches to suicide prevention.