Trauma characteristics, post-traumatic symptoms, psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviours: Results from the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

Objective: The current study examined whether trauma characteristics such as the type and number of traumatic events were associated with three suicidal behaviours (i.e. ideation, plan and attempt) after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, post-traumatic symptoms and history of psychiatric disorders. Method: Data came from the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (N=8841). Respondents were asked about exposure to 28 traumatic events that occurred during their lifetime. Suicidal behaviours were measured using three statements about whether the person ever seriously thought about or planned or attempted suicide. Results: Sexual violence and exposure to multiple traumatic events were particularly associated with suicidal behaviours. The presence of the emotional numbing symptom cluster and co-occurrence of three psychiatric disorders (major depressive disorder, alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder) also increased the odds of suicidal behaviours. Analysis of age of onset revealed that the mean age of traumatic exposure was earlier than the age at which suicidal behaviours emerged. Conclusions: The current study is the first to demonstrate that sexual violence and exposure to multiple traumatic events are associated with suicidal behaviours in a representative sample of Australian adults. The results underline the potential benefits of thorough assessment of trauma history, post-traumatic symptoms and history of psychiatric disorders and their additive contribution in suicide risk among trauma victims. These findings can be used by clinicians and researchers for early intervention programmes.