Epidemiological behavior of suicide attempt in Colombian adolescents years 2016-2019: An ecological study

OBJECTIVE: characterize the behavior of attempted suicide in adolescents in Colombia, and its associated epidemiological factors from 2016 to 2019. METHOD: quantitative, observational, descriptive, and ecological study. The sample was extracted from the database of the Integrated Social Protection Information System, by identifying cases of attempted suicide for ages in the range from 12 to 17 years old, calculated for a prevalence estimate based on a total population of 32,076. Univariate and bivariate analysis of the variables of interest was performed. RESULTS: suicide attempts occurred more frequently in females (n: 24,619; 76.7%), of subsidized regime (n: 17,960; 56%); and being in psychiatric centers is the most frequent vulnerability condition (n: 676; 2.11%). Living in the capital city is a risk factor for attempted suicide (OR: 1.423; 95% CI: 1.385 to 1.462), while being male is a protective factor (OR: 0.290; 95% CI: 0.283 a 0.298). CONCLUSION: suicide attempts are a subject of interest in Public Health due to their prevalence and impact on the family and social environment. The Nursing professional is competent in the identification, treatment, and prevention of this phenomenon.