Youth with substance use disorders (SUDs) might be at heightened risk for suicidal behavior, yet early identification remains challenging. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of the NANDA-I nursing diagnosis (ND) Risk for suicidal behavior in this population and explore its associations with clinical and socio-demographic factors and diagnostic indicators burden and risk profiles emerging from clustering risk factors (RFs).
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2024 at a public youth community addiction care service. All clients under 25 receiving nursing care were included. The ND was formulated by consensus through a structured clinical assessment based on NANDA-I diagnostic indicators.
Results
Among 90 participants (median age 21; 62.2% male), the Risk for suicidal behavior ND was identified in 81 individuals (90.0%). Higher frequency was observed among those lacking family support (p= 0.027), unemployed (p= 0.010), with lower education (p= 0.025), involved with multiple services (p= 0.003) or receiving longer duration of care (p< 0.001). Among those, 42 of 60 possible RFs were present at least once, with a median of nine RFs per person. A two-cluster solution revealed a subgroup with a markedly higher indicator burden and a prominent affective profile characterized by deep sadness, unhappiness, depressive symptoms, hopelessness and greater social adversity. The other subgroup showed a lower burden and more externalizing features.
Conclusions
The high prevalence Risk for suicidal behavior ND suggest that the diagnosis may function as a universal safety flag in youth addiction care. However, differences in indicator burden and cluster-derived profiles offer a more nuanced understanding of vulnerability, supporting the need to prioritize care based on individualized configurations of RFs rather than the diagnostic label alone. Findings reinforce the relevance of standardized nursing language for structured assessment and tailored intervention planning in this population.
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