Objective:

This objective of this study is to examine the association between suicidal behaviour and substance use, depression, aggressiveness and borderline personality traits among adolescents from Sincelejo, a rural city in the north of Colombia. Methods: This cross sectional study included 352 participants selected by purposive sampling, from a public and a private school located in Sincelejo, Sucre district, in the north of Colombia. Students ages ranged from 12 to 18 years old (mean, 15.09 ± 1.82). The participants completed three screening tools: a socio-demographic questionnaire, a screening instrument to collect information related to the frequency of use of some substances, such as tobacco and cannabis, and a self-report inventory to assess various personality and psychopathology domains. A series of t-tests, ANOVA and linear regression analyses were conducted.

Results:

Physical aggression (t = 7.74; p < 0.01), cognitive depression (t = 5.03; p < 0.01), affective depression (t = 8.24; p <0.01), affective instability (t = 3.46; p <0.01), few social relationships (t = 3.36; p < 0.01), self-harm (t = 3.45; p< .01), cannabis and tranquilizer use (t = 2.83; p < 0.05; and t = 2.37; p <0.05) had a significant independent relationship with suicidal behaviour. Aggression (t = 2.59; p <0.05), components of depression (t = 9.03; p <0.01) and borderline personality traits (t = 4.12; p <0.01) also predicted suicidal behaviour.

Conclusions:

More longitudinal studies are needed in this area to identify the causal relations between the factors studied and the suicidal behaviour of young people in Sincelejo.

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