Suicidal Thoughts in Young French Adults: Depression Was the Biggest Factor, Cannabis Was Not Independent
Among 4,075 young French adults, depression was the strongest predictor of suicidal ideation (OR ~8), while cannabis use in the previous month was not an independent predictor after adjusting for other factors.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Researchers surveyed 4,075 French adults aged 18-30 about suicidal ideation, substance use, and psychosocial factors.
Suicidal ideation in the previous year affected 5.7% of men and 4.9% of women.
Depression was the strongest predictor for both sexes (adjusted OR approximately 8). Among men, other significant predictors included homosexual intercourse (OR 3.37), absence of sexual activity (OR 2.83), living alone, daily tobacco smoking, unemployment, and parental relationship quality.
Among women, forced sexual intercourse (OR 5.37) and illicit drug use other than cannabis (OR 4.01) were significant predictors.
Notably, cannabis use in the previous month was not independently associated with suicidal ideation in the adjusted models for either sex. Other illicit drugs (not cannabis) were significant for women only.
Key Numbers
4,075 adults, ages 18-30. Suicidal ideation: 5.7% men, 4.9% women. Depression OR: ~8 (both sexes). Cannabis: not significant in adjusted models. Non-cannabis illicit drugs: OR 4.01 for women.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional analysis of 4,075 French adults aged 18-30 from a random national telephone survey in 2005. Depression assessed with CIDI-SF. Alcohol abuse assessed with AUDIT-C. Logistic regression with comprehensive adjustment for sociodemographic, health, and behavioral factors.
Why This Research Matters
This large population-based study found that cannabis was not independently associated with suicidal ideation after accounting for depression and other psychosocial factors, consistent with the Swedish longitudinal study (RTHC-00381) finding that confounding explains the cannabis-suicide association.
The Bigger Picture
Multiple studies now suggest that the association between cannabis and suicidality is largely explained by confounding factors, particularly depression and psychosocial adversity. Cannabis use may be a marker for these underlying risk factors rather than an independent cause.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design. Self-reported data via telephone survey. Cannabis use measured only in the previous month. French cultural context may limit generalizability. Telephone survey may miss marginalized populations.
Questions This Raises
- ?Should suicide prevention efforts focus on depression treatment rather than substance-specific interventions?
- ?Are non-cannabis illicit drugs more relevant to suicidality risk in women?
- ?How do cultural factors affect the substance-suicidality relationship?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Depression (OR ~8) was the strongest suicide risk factor; cannabis was not independently significant
- Evidence Grade:
- Large population-based survey with comprehensive adjustment for confounders. Cross-sectional design limits causal inference.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2010. Subsequent research has continued to support the finding that confounding, particularly depression, explains much of the cannabis-suicidality association.
- Original Title:
- Suicidal ideation among young French adults: association with occupation, family, sexual activity, personal background and drug use.
- Published In:
- Journal of affective disorders, 123(1-3), 108-15 (2010)
- Authors:
- Legleye, S, Beck, F, Peretti-Watel, P, Chau, N, Firdion, J M
- Database ID:
- RTHC-00426
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabis increase suicide risk?
In this study, cannabis was not an independent predictor of suicidal ideation after accounting for depression and other factors. This is consistent with other large studies finding that the cannabis-suicide association is explained by underlying vulnerabilities rather than cannabis itself.
Why were other illicit drugs significant for women but not men?
The study found that non-cannabis illicit drug use was a significant predictor of suicidal ideation in women (OR 4.01) but not men. This may reflect gender-specific pathways between drug use and suicidality, possibly related to the different contexts in which men and women initiate illicit drug use.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- LGBTQ-cannabis-use-recovery-support
- cannabis-induced-psychosis
- online-therapy-cannabis-anxiety-review
- quitting-weed-adhd
- quitting-weed-depression
- quitting-weed-ptsd
- self-medicating-with-weed
- weed-OCD-intrusive-thoughts
- weed-and-ptsd
- weed-childhood-trauma-ACE
- weed-suicidal-thoughts-withdrawal
- thc-and-ssris-cannabis-antidepressants
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-00426APA
Legleye, S; Beck, F; Peretti-Watel, P; Chau, N; Firdion, J M. (2010). Suicidal ideation among young French adults: association with occupation, family, sexual activity, personal background and drug use.. Journal of affective disorders, 123(1-3), 108-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2009.10.016
MLA
Legleye, S, et al. "Suicidal ideation among young French adults: association with occupation, family, sexual activity, personal background and drug use.." Journal of affective disorders, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2009.10.016
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Suicidal ideation among young French adults: association wit..." RTHC-00426. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/legleye-2010-suicidal-ideation-among-young
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.