Peripheral biological correlates of suicidality in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Thomas K. Pak, Emine Rabia Ayvaci, Thomas Carmody, Limi Jamma, Zihang Feng, Arya Nekovei, Graham J Emslie, Madhukar H Trivedi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to identify peripheral biological correlates of suicidality in children and adolescents. The review was pre-registered through PROSPERO (CRD42023417128) and included four databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and PsycINFO). From 27,977 non-duplicated articles, 102 full-text studies were selected. Studies investigated suicide attempts (n = 52), suicidal ideation (n = 42), or individuals with suicidal ideation or attempts grouped together (n = 22). Seropositive toxoplasmosis, cortisol, neutrophil, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) exhibited significant effect size after Bonferroni correction. Effect sizes for biological correlates of suicidality were pooled using Cohen's d (effect size = −0.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −1.36 to 1.27) and odds ratio (effect size = −0.31, 95% CI: −1.06 to 0.42). Meta-regression analysis revealed that type of suicidality, type of control, means collected, and sample size significantly impacted the pooled effect size. Analysis showed significant publication bias and heterogeneity, as well as notable moderators and potential biomarkers for future research.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number112290
JournaliScience
Volume28
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 18 2025

Keywords

  • Psychology
  • Public health

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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