Silent struggles: a machine learning approach for predicting suicidal ideation based on crisis symptoms and childhood trauma in Saudi adolescents

Comprehensive Summary

Due to the vastness and challenges that come with adolescent suicide, primarily with the limited research in Saudi Arabia, this study worked to identify key psychological and trauma-related predictors of suicidal ideation among Saudi adolescents. Through a cross-sectional study conducted among 583 adolescents ages 13-18 identified through convenience sampling, participants used multiple self-reporting techniques to identify the strongest predictors of suicidal ideation. Emotional pain, entrapment and panic dissociation were found to be the most significant predictors of suicidal ideation. The strongest positive correlations with suicidal ideation were found among childhood trauma variables, particularly emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect. This demonstrates that suicidal ideation among Saudi adolscents is strongly influenced by both acute emotional crisis symptoms and histories of childhood trauma.

Outcomes and Implications

The mental illness epidemic is increasingly prevalent and on the rise globally. The idea that suicidal ideation among Saudi adolescents is positively correlated with acute emotional crisis symptoms and childhood trauma highlights the need for early screening of suicidal crisis markers and trauma-informed mental health interventions in school and clinical settings. Among these, strategies must incorporate a culturally sensitive approach that builds on the emotional, developmental, and family-based factors for effective suicide prevention among adolescents.