The LifeTrack Project: Baseline cohort characteristics and psychosocial factors associated with duration of suicidal ideation and prior suicide attempt

Introduction: Between 5 and 20% of adults with suicidal ideation make a suicide attempt, while many others remit. The LifeTrack Project is a three-year population-based cohort study that aims to identify factors associated with suicide attempt and remission of suicidal ideation. This paper reports the demographic characteristics of the LifeTrack cohort and associations of baseline psychosocial factors with time since onset of suicidal ideation and prior suicide attempts. 

Method: Participants (923 Australian adults with suicidal ideation in the past 30 days) completed a baseline questionnaire about suicidality, health and sociodemographics. 

Results: Over half of participants reported onset of suicidal ideation over 10 years ago.About half reported a prior suicide attempt. Long-term (>10 years) suicidal ideation was associated with older age, female gender, bisexuality, long-term relationship, mental illness diagnosis, pain interference, and PTSD symptoms. Prior suicide attempt was associated with nonbinary gender, bisexuality, fewer years of education, living alone, parenthood, mental illness diagnosis, depressive symptoms, PTSD symptoms, and financial worry. 

Conclusion: Factors associated with duration of suicidal ideation were distinct from those associated with previous attempts. The LifeTrack cohort, one of the largest of its kind, will allow us to prospectively test and refine theoretical models of suicidal behaviour in coming years.