Prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviours among patients with depression and anxiety disorders in a multi-ethnic Asian setting

Background: Suicidal behaviour refers to a spectrum of actions and thoughts focused on intentionally ending one's own life, ranging from ideation and planning to suicide attempts. The study aims to (i) estimate the prevalence rate of suicidal behaviour among youths diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders, using the Suicidal Behaviour Questionnaire (SBQ-R), (ii) evaluate the psychometric properties and factor structure of the SBQ-R as a measurement tool in the clinical population, (iii) identify the social, demographic and clinical factors which are associated with suicidal behaviour among youths with depression and anxiety in a multi-ethnic outpatient population in a tertiary hospital setting. Methods: 379 participants who were seeking treatment for depression and anxiety disorders were recruited. The SBQ-R was used to identify the risk of suicidal behaviour. Data on socio-demographic variables, clinical variables, smoking status and alcohol status were also collected. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to establish the underlying factor structure of the SBQ-R. Multiple logistic regression were used for analyses. Results: The prevalence of suicidal behaviour in the past year was 84.4% in the sample. A CFA on the four items of the suicidal behaviour - indicated that the model fit the data well. The regression model showed that those of Indian ethnicity (vs Chinese ethnicity) were less likely to have suicidal behaviour, while current smokers (vs non-smokers), who had experienced childhood abuse (vs no childhood abuse), and those with PHQ-9 score of 10 and above were more likely to have suicidal behaviours. Discussion and conclusion: This study found that the SBQ-R has adequate psychometric properties for use among outpatients with depression and anxiety disorder in a tertiary hospital in Singapore. The high prevalence of suicidal behaviour in patients with depression and anxiety highlights the need for early intervention and targeted suicide prevention strategies in clinical settings.