35th AM (2024) - Poster Session-AssociationOfTobaccoUseDiagnosisWithSuicidalityInAdolescents

AssociationOfTobaccoUseDiagnosisWithSuicidalityInAdolescents

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The document highlights the relationship between adolescent tobacco use and increased risk of suicidality, drawn from a study comparing electronic health records (EHR) data with national self-reported surveys. The prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents recorded in EHR is significantly lower than that reported in national surveys. Despite this discrepancy, adolescents diagnosed with tobacco use demonstrated a substantially higher risk of suicide attempts, intentional self-harm, or suicidal ideation compared to peers without a tobacco use diagnosis.<br /><br />Across various settings such as ambulatory and emergency/inpatient visits, the risk of suicidality on the same day of tobacco use diagnosis was significantly higher. The study also found increased hazard ratios for suicidality occurring one to 30 days and 31-365 days following a tobacco use diagnosis. This suggests that tobacco use could serve as a vital marker for identifying adolescents at increased risk for suicide-related outcomes and signifies the potential for using tobacco diagnosis as an impetus for additional mental health screening.<br /><br />The study employed a retrospective cohort method using de-identified EHR data, focusing on adolescents aged 12-18 from 2017 to 2022. Matching was done based on demographics, mental and behavioral health conditions, and healthcare utilization, among other factors. Despite its indicative findings, the study acknowledges using EHR data as a limitation due to potential under-reporting of tobacco use, suggesting the need for further research to validate the effectiveness of screening guidelines that consider tobacco use as a trigger for mental health screenings.<br /><br />Ultimately, the results suggest that healthcare providers may benefit from using tobacco use as a marker in identifying adolescents at risk for suicidality, promoting proactive mental health interventions.

Keywords

adolescent tobacco use

suicidality risk

electronic health records

national surveys

suicide attempts

mental health screening

retrospective cohort study

healthcare providers

suicide-related outcomes

behavioral health conditions

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