AIM:

To correlate clinical, social, demographic characteristics and depressive symptoms with suicide risk among parents of patients with neuromuscular diseases in rehabilitation.

DESIGN:

The study design was prospective, transversal and analytic.

METHOD:

the study was conducted on parents of children with neuromuscular diseases (NMD), from the Teletón Children's rehabilitation centre of Western Mexico (Centro de Rehabilitación Teletón de Occidente), through the use of individual validated standardised tests; Beck's depression inventory and Plutchik's suicide risk scale. Correlation was measured between suicide risk, depressive symptoms and clinical, social-demographic characteristics. The informed consent was obtained from all participants.

RESULTS:

54 parents were evaluated, 52 (96%) were mothers, average age 43.43 ±8.2 (20 to 58). The average age of children was 16.61 ±5.6 (8 to 27). 24% of parents showed depression, 15% of participants showed suicidal risk. Social or demographic factors were not correlated with suicide risk. Neither, the clinical characteristics of the patients with neuromuscular diseases were correlated to suicide risk in participants. There was direct correlation of depressive symptoms with suicide risk (r = 0.86; r2 = 0.73). Multivariate analysis only revealed significant data on indecision (rm=18.48), feelings of guilt (rm=11.44), pessimism (rm=11.38), loss of interest in sex (rm=8.4) and active suicide ideation (rm=14.04).

CONCLUSION:

The suicide risk in the parents of children with NMD are correlated with depressive symptoms; mainly, indecision, feelings of guilt, pessimism and suicide ideation. Based on results, the parents of children with NMD must be involved in prevention strategies for depression symptoms and suicide behavior.