Suicidalidade em adolescentes expostos a desastre tecnológico e história prévia de bullying: dados de Mariana - MG

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate an association between the previous history of bullying and suicidality (suicidal behavior) in adolescents aged 10 to 17 years exposed to the Fundão dam failure in Mariana/MG two years after the collapse. Through the interaction of traumas, we believe that a previous history of bullying increases thoughts of death, suicidality and self-harming behavior in adolescents after exposure to a technological disaster. Methods: 46 adolescents (mean age: 13.61 ± 2,54) affected by the disaster were investigated about sociodemographic data, exposure to the event, and previous traumatic events, using standard questionnaires previously tested. For accessing psychiatric disorders, including suicidality, we use the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Adolescents were questioned about practicing, witnessing/ knowing someone, or being a victim of traditional bullying and cyberbullying in the past. The data has been analyzed using SPSS 2.0®. We conducted a descriptive analysis with the absolute and relative frequencies and Fisher's test for dichotomous variables, with Chi-square in the evaluation of statistical significance (p<0.05). Results: 82.9% of respondents screened positively for post-traumatic stress disorder, 39.1% for depression, and 26.1% for anxiety disorder. 26.1% had thoughts of death, 13% had suicidal ideation, and 4.3% attempted suicide. 13% of teenagers had self-harm behavior. Bullying events were witnessed by 71.7% of them, and cyberbullying by 47.6%. The acts of aggression, persecution, and insult were carried out by 17.4% of them in person, and all of them denied doing so over the internet. 6.5% of them reported having been victims of cyberbullying and 23.9% of traditional bullying. There was a positive association between being a victim of cyberbullying and “having self-harm behavior” or “suicidal thoughts” (p=0.041). Bullying and cyberbullying predictors showed no significant association with “anxiety” and “depression” outcomes. Involvement in traditional bullying revealed a positive association with PTSD (p=0.014). Conclusion: This is the first original study that evaluated suicidal behavior in a population of adolescents exposed to DT. In addition, we found no studies evaluating the association between a previous history of bullying and disasters. This knowledge can be important for the formulation of public policies and the prevention of post-disaster psychopathologies.