@article{f2f2b49063ef11df9344000ea68e967b,
title = "Suicide and mental illness in parents and risk of suicide in offspring: a birth cohort study",
abstract = "BACKGROUND: A family history of completed suicide and psychiatric illness has been identified as risk factors for suicide. AIMS: To examine the risk of offspring suicide in relation to parental history of suicide and other parental risk factors. METHOD: The study population consisted of 7,177 adult offspring born 1959-1961 and their parents from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort. Cohort members and their parents who had committed suicide were identified in the Danish Causes of Death Registry (follow-up until December 31, 2005), while information on psychiatric hospitalisation history was obtained from the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register. RESULTS: Forty-eight cohort members, 77 mothers and 133 fathers had committed suicide during the follow-up. Independent of parental psychiatric illness and social status, parental suicide significantly increased suicide risk in offspring (hazard ratio 4.40 with 95% CI 1.81-10.69). A stronger effect of parental suicide was observed in offspring without a history of psychiatric hospitalisation. CONCLUSION: Parental history of suicide is a risk factor for suicide in offspring, but primarily in offspring without psychiatric hospitalisation.",
author = "S{\o}rensen, {Holger J} and Mortensen, {Erik L} and Wang, {August G} and Knud Juel and Leigh Silverton and Mednick, {Sarnoff A}",
note = "Keywords: Adult; Adult Children; Cause of Death; Child; Child of Impaired Parents; Cohort Studies; Denmark; Fathers; Female; Hospitalization; Hospitals, Psychiatric; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders; Mothers; Registries; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Suicide",
year = "2009",
doi = "10.1007/s00127-009-0495-5",
language = "English",
volume = "44",
pages = "748--51",
journal = "Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology",
issn = "0933-7954",
publisher = "Springer Medizin",
number = "9",
}