The Association Between Concussions and Suicidal Behaviors

While there is increasing evidence on the long-term risks associated with concussions, the association between hopelessness, suicidal ideation, suicidal planning and suicidal attempts in high school aged adolescents has not yet been explored. The current study aims to estimate the association between concussions and suicidal behaviors in Utah high school students. We analyzed the 2013 Utah Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a state, representative survey of 2,195 9th through 12th grade high school students. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions controlling for race/ethnicity, sex, grade, and alcohol use were conducted to evaluate the adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) of suicidal behaviors comparing students exposed to one or more concussions to those unexposed. Students with self-reported concussion exposure had significantly greater odds of reporting feeling sad or hopeless (OR=1.7; 95% CI 1.4, 2.2), suicidal ideations (AOR=2.0; 95% CI 1.4, 2.7), suicidal planning (AOR=2.0; ...