The relationship of suicidal and aggressive behavior in adolescents and young people (according to foreign literature)

Among the leading causes of death among young people aged 15-29, interpersonal violence is the third most common cause of death while suicide is the fourth. Aim: to analyze data from foreign studies to assess the relationship and risk factors for aggressive and suicidal behavior in young people to predict the likelihood of developing these types of behavior. Material. Foreign publications of recent years. The literature search was carried out using the Scopus, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, PRISMA, eLIBRARY.RU databases. The search period encompassed 12 years. An article was included if the study examined the relationship between aggressive and suicidal behavior and reported empirical data from a sample of individuals under 25 years of age. The review included 126 publications. Results. This review confirms that aggressive and self-aggressive behavior is widespread among young people. Many epidemiological, clinical, retrospective, prospective, and family studies have found a strong association between aggression and suicide. It has been shown that aggression can increase the risk of suicidal behavior both in adolescents with mental disorders and in healthy ones. The combined presence of suicidal thoughts and self-directed aggression (self-harming ability) may predict the risk of attempting suicide. Self-directed aggression is also a risk factor for completed suicide. Impulsive-aggressive behavior is the mechanism by which the risk of suicide is increased primarily among young suicides. Impulsivity and aggression may be intermediate phenotypes of suicide, predominantly in younger individuals. Anger and hostility have a direct impact on suicidal thoughts, plans and suicide attempts. At the same time, hostility is a more serious risk factor for young people than for adults. Studies focusing on "dual-harm", that is, the combined display of aggression towards others and aggression towards oneself, show that young people who cause double harm are at greater risk of suicide than those who do not. those who harm only themselves, and those who harm only others. Conclusion. Achieving a better understanding of the factors underlying the risk of suicidal and violent behavior is critical to improving prevention strategies to combat these behaviors. The data presented in the review show that it is useful to include aggressive behavior in screening programs to provide a more sensitive approach to identifying adolescents who have suicidal thoughts.