The Effects of Asthma and Bullying on Suicidal Behaviors Among US Adolescents.
Lutfiyya N Muhammad, Jeffrey E Korte, Charles M Bowman and 2 others
PMID 30203476WHAT IT FOUND
US adolescents with asthma or bullying were more likely to report suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Students with both had the highest rates, but the study did not show a combined effect beyond each risk alone and cannot prove cause.
Key findings
01Asthma was consistently associated with significantly increased odds of suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior among adolescents.
02Being bullied in the past year was consistently associated with significantly increased odds of suicidal ideation and behavior among adolescents.
03The hypothesized synergistic effect between asthma and bullying was not found; bullying was associated with a 2.7-fold increase in odds of contemplating suicide among students without asthma and a 1.8-fold increase among students with asthma.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All data were self-reported, and the study did not control for clinically diagnosed mental illness; it only adjusted for feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks or longer. The survey did not define bullying and asked only about bullying on school property, so bullying outside school may have been missed and some students may have understood the question differently. The survey did not include asthma medication, current asthma status, or asthma severity, so the study could not account for those factors. 429 participants were excluded because they did not answer asthma or bullying questions. The study is cross-sectional, so it shows association at one time point and cannot show that asthma or bullying caused suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
Declared interests
No author conflicts of interest are reported in the supplied text. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high rates among students with both asthma and bullying as evidence that asthma and bullying combine synergistically or cause suicidal behavior. The study is cross-sectional and self-reported, and the authors did not find the hypothesized interaction; bullying was associated with a 2.7-fold increase in odds of contemplating suicide among students without asthma and a 1.8-fold increase among students with asthma.