Depresif kız ergenlerde intihar davranışının şiddeti, algılanan cinsiyet eşitliği ve çocukluk çağı travmalarının ilişkisi: Türkiye’nin bölgelerine göre farklılıklar ; The association between suicidal behavior severity, perceived gender equality, and childhood traumas among depressive adolescent girls: Differences between the regions of Turkey

Objective: To investigate the association between suicidal behavior, perceived gender equality, and childhood traumas among depressive adolescent girls who have attempted suicide in the last 1 year. Method: 84 adolescent girls aged between 12-18 (Eastern Provinces n=34, Western Provinces n=50) were assessed via Columbia Suicide Severity Scale by clinicians to determine the severity of their suicidal behavior. Participants and their mothers filled the Perception of Gender Scale (PGS); participants completed Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: Participants from the eastern provinces had significantly lower PGS scores (t=-2.369, p=0.02) and higher BDE (t=-2.081, p=0.04), and CTQ-Emotional Neglect (U=537.500, p=0.03) scores than those from the western provinces. Participants from the eastern provinces more frequently classified into high-severity suicide cluster than those from the western provinces (X2(1)=6.215, p=0.01). PGS score was significantly correlated with both CTQ-emotional neglect score (rho=-0.240, p=0.03), maternal education level (rho=0.282, p=0.001), and maternal-PGS score (rho=0.430, p<0.001). Adolescents in high-severity suicide cluster had lower PGS (t=-2.369, p=0.02) and maternal-PGS scores (t=-2.138, p=0.03) and higher CTQ scores (t=2.195, p=0.03) than those in low-severity suicide cluster. In the logistic regression analysis, the only significant variable that predicted being in the high-severity suicide cluster was maternal-PGS score (B=-0.051, p=0.02). Discussion: The current study showed that more traditional gender role perception in mothers and adolescents was associated with more severe suicide attempts among depressive adolescent girls. Having been raised in families with more traditional social roles may have caused these adolescents to experience more emotional neglect, higher depression severity, thus more severe suicidal behavior.