TABLE 3.
Suicidality Risk Factors in Adoptees and Nonadoptees
| Adoptees (n = 657) | Nonadoptees (n = 508) | d (95% Confidence Interval) | F (df) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical symptomsa | |||||
| Childhood disruptive disorders | 5.33 (6.0) | 3.58 (4.9) | 0.40 (0.27 to 0.53) | 36.06 (1, 925) | <.001 |
| MDD | 0.33 (0.9) | 0.24 (0.8) | 0.12 (0.00 to 0.25) | 3.42 (1, 903) | .065 |
| Substance disorders | 0.35 (1.4) | 0.41 (1.7) | −0.03 (–0.16 to 0.09) | 0.31 (1, 884) | .579 |
| Teacher ratings | |||||
| Externalizing behavior | 54.11 (15.2) | 51.01 (13.1) | 0.28 (0.12 to 0.43) | 12.59 (1, 714) | <.001 |
| Negative mood | 10.42 (3.0) | 9.53 (2.3) | 0.34 (0.20 to 0.48) | 22.31 (1, 655) | <.001 |
| Family environment | |||||
| Family discord, parent | 0.10 (1.0) | −0.15 (0.9) | 0.40 (0.22 to 0.58) | 19.29 (1, 1122) | <.001 |
| Family discord, offspring | 0.09 (1.0) | −0.13 (0.9) | 0.26 (0.12 to 0.39) | 12.78 (1, 902) | <.001 |
| Personality | |||||
| Low well-being | 16.55 (8.1) | 16.28 (8.0) | 0.05 (–0.08 to 0.18) | 0.51 (1, 903) | .475 |
| Alienation | 35.69 (9.4) | 35.39 (9.5) | 0.05 (–0.08 to 0.18) | 0.63 (1, 883) | .429 |
| Low control | 26.55 (8.8) | 26.32 (8.2) | 0.04 (–0.08 to 0.16) | 0.45 (1, 865) | .501 |
| Academic disengagement | 0.07 (1.1) | −0.11 (0.9) | 0.21 (0.08 to 0.27) | 9.63 (1, 856) | <.01 |
| Aggregate riska | 0.56 (0.9) | 0.37 (0.6) | 0.31 (0.18 to 0.43) | 21.91 (1, 896) | <.001 |
Data presented are descriptive statistics (mean [SD]), standardized mean differences (d) between adoptees and nonadoptees, confidence intervals, and ANOVA results. Childhood disruptive disorders included symptoms of ODD, ADHD, and CD. Substance use disorders included nicotine dependence and alcohol, amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogen, inhalant, opioid, phencyclidine steroid, and other illegal drug abuse and dependence. Covariates included age at the intake assessment and gender. Standardized mean differences (d) were estimated by dividing the difference in covariate-adjusted means (adoptees minus non-adoptees) by the SD of the residual variance.
Log-transformed before analysis to reduce skew.