| Abstract [eng] |
Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Research on aspects of suicidality highlights the influence of negative childhood experiences, which may lead to the development of suicidal ideation in emerging adulthood. Exposure to such experiences is thought to be associated with health outcomes such as psychoactive substance use and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, psychoactive substance use, posttraumatic stress disorder and suicidality. The study enrolled 166 (50 males, 113 females and 3 non-gender-identified) residents of Lithuania aged 19-29 years (M = 22.95; SD = 2.58). The instruments used in the questionnaire: Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE), the author-developed Substance Use Assessment, the Short Version of the AUDIT (AUDIT-C), the Impact of Event Scale (IES-R), and the Suicidal Behaviour Scale (SBQ-R). The results showed significant associations between adverse childhood experiences, posttraumatic stress disorder and psychoactive substance use. The expression of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms was found to increase the risk of psychoactive substance use. Similarly, emerging adults who experienced violent events in childhood had higher estimates of suicidality than adults who did not experience violence. Finally, it was found that adverse childhood experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder increase the expression of suicidal behaviour. |
