Could teen suicidal behaviour be linked to risky driving?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-01-19 03:00

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Suicide ideation and suicidal behaviours could be linked to risky driving behaviours in teens, according to a study of young people in the US. The team looked at self-reported survey data from almost 14,000 US teens, and found a pattern showing that as the severity of suicidality increased (ranging from suicide ideation to suicide attempt), so too did reported risky driving behaviours such as infrequent seatbelt use, texting or emailing while driving and drunk driving. Given these findings, the team says healthcare professionals should take these behaviours into consideration when treating teens.