Suicide and child abuse and neglect

The NSW Child Death Review Team aims to prevent child deaths by examining the causes of death among children in New South Wales and making policy recommendations to help reduce mortality. This annual report examines causes of death for the 2011 period, in which 581 children aged 0 to 17 died. Sections include: child deaths registred in 2011, all causes of death, leading causes of death, multiple causes of death, deaths of children outside New South Wales, natural causes of death, Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI), deaths from external causes and injuries, fatal assault, suicide, and recommendations for monitoring. This report also highlights two areas of particular concern: low speed vehicle run-over incidents and drowning deaths of children in private swimming pools.

This series of reports analyses cases of child death in Queensland. It examines the circumstances and risk factors surrounding non-natural causes of death, to help address preventable fatalities. Information is provided on intentional and non-intentional injuries, including drowning, transport accidents, suicide, fatal assault and neglect, and sudden unexpected deaths. The report also notes child death prevention activities undertaken by the Commission. This is the eight annual report, for the 2011/2012 period. In that year, the deaths of 486 children were registered in Queensland, again with high rates of suicide, transport accident, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander death.

This series of reports analyses cases of child death in Queensland. It examines the circumstances and risk factors surrounding non-natural causes of death, to help address preventable fatalities. Information is provided on intentional and non-intentional injuries, including drowning, transport accidents, suicide, fatal assault and neglect, and sudden unexpected deaths. The report also notes child death prevention activities undertaken by the Commission. This is the seventh annual report, for the 2010/2011 period. In that year, the deaths of 465 children were registered in Queensland, the lowest reported rate since 2005-06.

This series of reports analyses cases of child death in Queensland. It examines the circumstances and risk factors surrounding non-natural causes of death, to help address preventable fatalities. Information is provided on intentional and non-intentional injuries, including drowning, transport accidents, suicide, fatal assault and neglect, and sudden unexpected deaths. The report also notes child death prevention activities undertaken by the Commission. This is the sixth annual report, for the 2009/2010 period. In that year, the deaths of 485 children were registered in Queensland. An analysis is also provided of non-pool drownings between 2004-10, with rural water hazards posing an equal risk to young children as swimming pools.

This article investigates the rate of suicide or accidental fatal drug overdose among adults who had been sexually abused as children. The authors conducted a historical cohort study linking the forensic medical records, from 1964 to 1995, for 2,759 children in Victoria who had been recorded as being sexually abused, with coronial records of deaths recorded from 1989 to 2008. This data was compared to the general population. The study found that victims of child sexual assault are at increased risk of suicide, most had had contact with the public mental health system, and half were recorded as being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The article discusses the findings and the implications for suicide prevention.

This series of reports analyses cases of child death in Queensland. It examines the circumstances and risk factors surrounding non-natural causes of death, to help address preventable fatalities. Information is provided on intentional and non-intentional injuries, including drowning, transport accidents, suicide, fatal assault and neglect, and sudden unexpected deaths. The report also notes child death prevention activities undertaken by the Commission. This is the fifth annual report, for the 2008/2009 period. In that year, the deaths of 519 children were registered in Queensland.

"The purpose of this publication is to summarize the research on childhood stress and its implications for adult health and well-being. Of particular interest is the stress caused by child abuse, neglect, and repeated exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV)."

This series of reports analyses cases of child death in Queensland. It examines the circumstances and risk factors surrounding non-natural causes of death, to help address preventable fatalities. Information is provided on intentional and non-intentional injuries, including drowning, transport accidents, suicide, fatal assault and neglect, and sudden unexpected deaths. The report also notes child death prevention activities undertaken by the Commission. This is the fourth annual report, for the 2007/2008 period. In that year, the deaths of 479 children were registered in Queensland.

This series of reports analyses cases of child death in Queensland. It examines the circumstances and risk factors surrounding non-natural causes of death, to help address preventable fatalities. Information is provided on intentional and non-intentional injuries, including drowning, transport accidents, suicide, fatal assault and neglect, and sudden unexpected deaths. The report also notes child death prevention activities undertaken by the Commission. This is the third annual report, for the 2006/2007 period. In that year, the deaths of 509 children were registered in Queensland - 83 more than in the previous reporting period.

Since December 2002, the Ombudsman has had responsibility for reviewing the deaths of people in care or children at risk or known to child protection services in New South Wales. Each year it presents a report of its findings, aiming to identify trends or patterns and recommend to government and service providers ways to prevent or reduce such deaths. The 2006 report has two volumes. Volume 2 focuses on the deaths of children in care, in juvenile detention, known to child protection services or a sibling thereof, or whose death is suspicious or due to maltreatment. In 2006, the deaths of 123 children were reviewable, with 114 of these cases relating to children known to Community Services. The report discusses the work of the Ombudsman, causes and circumstances of death, natural causes of death, significant risk factors identified, systems for identifying and reporting risk of harm, agency responses to risk of harm, coronial responses, and recommendations. Over the past four years, the main risk factors continue to be related to parental substance abuse, parental mental health problems, domestic violence and neglect, and Aboriginal children are still over-represented.

This series of reports analyses cases of child death in Queensland. It examines the circumstances and risk factors surrounding non-natural causes of death, to help address preventable fatalities. Information is provided on intentional and non-intentional injuries, including drowning, transport accidents, suicide, fatal assault and neglect, and sudden unexpected deaths. The report also notes child death prevention activities undertaken by the Commission. This is the second annual report, for the 2005/2006 period. In that year, the deaths of 426 children were registered in Queensland - with infants under 1 year accounting for 263 of these deaths.

This study interviewed 24 young women who exhibited suicidal behaviour. It examines the role of a history of sexual abuse as a causal factor in suicidal behaviour. The paper discusses issues of disclosure of sexual abuse, help seeking behaviour, interventions for suicidal behaviour and control.

This series of reports analyses cases of child death in Queensland. It examines the circumstances and risk factors surrounding non-natural causes of death, to help address preventable fatalities. Information is provided on intentional and non-intentional injuries, including drowning, transport accidents, suicide, fatal assault and neglect, and sudden unexpected deaths. The report also notes child death prevention activities undertaken by the Commission. This is the inaugural annual report, for the period 1 January 2004 to 30 June 2005. It reviews the cases of the 693 children and young people whose deaths were registered in Queensland during this period.

There are substantial bodies of literature focusing on suicide and interpersonal trauma, and on suicide across cultures, and a growing body of knowledge relating to interpersonal trauma across cultures. However, there is a marked gap in the literature that brings these three areas together. Studies that specifically investigate the prevalence of suicidality in relation to experiences of domestic violence, sexual assault and childhood abuse in a cross-cultural context are scant. Moreover, inconsistencies in data collection and reporting and considerable variability in results among the few existing studies highlight substantial methodological limitations and definitional differences in the research. This hampers both identification of at-risk groups and examination of possible risk and protective factors. What is clear is that interpersonal trauma and suicide are linked in significant and complex ways. What is less evident is how culture mediates this inter-relationship. It is suggested that gender and cultural biases in suicide research may account for our limited understandings in this area. Implications for practice include the need for alternative research perspectives and more inclusive frameworks that promote greater cross-discipline dialogue and intersectoral collaboration. There is thus ample scope for further research in this area so as to elucidate the implications for suicide prevention, intervention and postvention work with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

The author highlights the substantial body of research that has explored the relationship between suicide and experiences of interpersonal violence. However, studies that investigate the prevalence of suicidality in relation to experiences of domestic violence, sexual assault and childhood abuse in a cross cultural context are few, particularly studies of women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The author is currently involved in the data gathering and consultation phase of a project to develop resources to support service providers working with people from nondominant cultural groups in addressing the risk of suicide in the context of interpersonal trauma.

This study of South Australian adolescents examined gender specific relationships between self reported child sexual abuse and suicidality. The findings strongly suggest that sexual abuse is associated with suicide ideation and behaviour, and that there is a marked difference between girls and boys in the rates of making suicide plans and suicide attempts. The article recommends that health professionals, should be alerted to an increased risk of suicidal behaviour among adolescents with a history of sexual abuse, especially among boys.

Sexual abuse is a risk factor for suicidal behaviour. This article looks at several Australian studies that investigated suicidality and reports of sexual abuse amongst adolescents and young people. It concludes that more attention should be given to early intervention with young people who exhibit clinical or emotional problems.

This book discusses the causes and contexts of violence both against and by children, including the role of child neglect and resilience in children, and the cycle of violence in parents abused themselves as children, and is illustrated with clinical and legal case studies.

The Early Detection of Emotional Disorders Program examined risk factors for suicidal behaviour in a community sample of adolescents from the Southern Child Adolescent Mental Health Service clinical catchment area (South Australia). It covered approximately one-third of high school population from 17 government and 10 private schools. This presentation describes the study, and discusses findings in relation to child sexual abuse and links between CSA and adverse psychological outcomes including suicide.

This study used data from a survey of Australian high school students to examine relationships between self reported sexual abuse, depression, hopelessness and suicidal feelings among adolescents. The authors found that sexual abuse is associated with suicidal feelings, hopelessness is more strongly associated with sexual abuse in boys than girls and depressive symptoms are more strongly associated with high suicide risk in girls than boys.

Links between family violence and crime prevention in children and young people are discussed in this paper. The paper looks at the effects of physical punishment and of family violence on children and young people; public awareness raising of these issues and the promotion of a culture of non violence in all aspects of the life of a child or young person; parental attitudes and defence of corporal punishment; the correlation between post traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, other anxiety disorders and suicide ideation; and children's views of what physical punishment can lead to.

This case study describes therapy over a three year period with a young adopted person who presented as highly suicidal, with a childhood background characterised by severe privation and abuse. The paper describes the use of a visual Life line, designed to assist the young person in reconnecting and honouring different parts of her life. A flexible and client centred therapeutic approach is also described.

An ecological, theoretical perspective to analysing child suicide as a consequence and symptom of abuse and neglect within various contextual settings, is provided in this paper which presents empirical exemplification of the results of epidemiological studies on child and youth suicides, conducted in Poland, between 1980 to 1994.

Australia's high rate of suicide and substance use among young people is of great community concern as evidenced by the government's involvement in programs such as the National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy and the National Drug Strategy. In this editorial, the author discusses the long lasting consequences on adult health of child abuse, the importance of increasing community awareness of depression, and the need for clinicians to incorporate into their practice framework a social model of health alongside biological approaches.

Recollections of childhood sexual and physical abuse are presented in this book which focuses on the process of healing which an acknowledgement of childhood abuse can provide. Individual survivor's stories are presented on some of the following issues: acknowledging childhood abuse; false memory; recovering memories; depression; suicide; sexuality; parenting; multiple personalities; the effect of abuse on others; men who have been abused; abuse by women; sadistic abuse; ritual abuse; confronting the perpetrator; going public; therapists; and the healing process. Appendices include information on ASCA, self help resources, organisations for adult survivors and taking legal action.

Suicide is the leading cause of death in young Australians. It has become a significant public health issue in Australia. This article presents an analysis of current research on suicide and suicidal behaviour and explores the possible causes and crosscultural issues. The author considers problems associated with defining suicide. He explains that intention, nationality, and their relationship are relevant to the definition of suicidal risk. Other topics covered include: the prevalence of suicide including its prevalence in rural versus urban areas, methods of suicide, cohort studies, suicide clusters, sociocultural and individual factors, exposure to physical or sexual abuse, social and problem solving skills, depression, attempted suicide as a risk factor, hopelessness, conduct and personality disorders, substance abuse, schizophrenia, neurobiological findings, genetic and family background, AIDS and terminal illness, high risk groups and suicide in homosexual populations.

Associations between adolescents' reported sexual abuse and depression, suicide thoughts and attempts and family dysfunction are investigated in this pilot study. The results of self report questionnaires completed by high school students are discussed, which included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Brief Adolescent Risk-taking Scale (BARTS), questions about suicide, drug and alcohol intake and other life experiences. Findings appear to confirm sexual abuse as a risk factor for suicidal behaviours and suggest it may be more important in the development of suicidal behaviours than family dysfunction.

The focus of this paper is the specialist hospital management of parasuicides (suicide attempts). Evidence concerning the impact of such services on suicide rates is sought, and clinical issues of critical importance for researchers and clinicians are raised. The following topics have been selected for discussion: those that generate confusion, such as risk assessment and diagnosis; those that may be overlooked, for example child abuse; areas that have not yet been properly addressed, such as community care and suicide; and topics that concern developments worthy of incorporation into clinical practice, including new antidepressants and cognitive therapy The author states that although depression seems a significant factor, the rise in youth suicide remains largely unexplained.