High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression
Abstract Background Adolescent suicide, as a public health issue, is becoming increasingly urgent, yet there remains a lack of effective objective biomarkers for identifying high-risk adolescents. While testosterone has been linked to suicide, no definitive conclusions have been reached. Studies in...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | BMC Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07098-3 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849769115232763904 |
|---|---|
| author | Han Wang Nan Lyu Juan Huang Bingbing Fu Lili Shang Fan Yang Ling Zhang Qian Zhao |
| author_facet | Han Wang Nan Lyu Juan Huang Bingbing Fu Lili Shang Fan Yang Ling Zhang Qian Zhao |
| author_sort | Han Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Adolescent suicide, as a public health issue, is becoming increasingly urgent, yet there remains a lack of effective objective biomarkers for identifying high-risk adolescents. While testosterone has been linked to suicide, no definitive conclusions have been reached. Studies in specific populations defined by significant changes in age or hormone levels and by gender have shown greater reproducibility. This study aims to investigate the association between testosterone levels and suicidal ideation or behavior in male and female adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 1227 adolescents with MDD, aged 10–19 years, hospitalized at the Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2013 to December 2020. Patients were categorized into two groups: those with suicidal ideation or behavior (MDS) and those without (MDNS). Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and serum testosterone levels at admission were extracted and compared. An additional 579 adolescents meeting the same inclusion criteria were included for validation, with data collected from January 2022 to December 2023. Results In male adolescents, testosterone levels were significantly higher in the MDS group compared to the MDNS group(Z = -4.340, P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, testosterone levels remained significantly associated with suicidal ideation or behavior (OR = 1.220, 95% CI: 1.098–1.356). This finding was confirmed in the validation data set (OR = 1.444, 95% CI: 1.139–1.832). No significant difference in testosterone levels was observed in females (Z = 1.643, P = 0.100). Conclusions Elevated serum testosterone levels were independently associated with increased risk of suicidal ideation or behavior in male adolescents with MDD, but not in females. These findings highlight the necessity for sex-specific biomarkers, however, due to the intrinsic limitations of the current study, they necessitate further validation. Clinical trial number Not applicable. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5ed2fec9bd7647b49d5684be2dfd5030 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1471-244X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-5ed2fec9bd7647b49d5684be2dfd50302025-08-20T03:03:34ZengBMCBMC Psychiatry1471-244X2025-07-0125111010.1186/s12888-025-07098-3High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depressionHan Wang0Nan Lyu1Juan Huang2Bingbing Fu3Lili Shang4Fan Yang5Ling Zhang6Qian Zhao7Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityAbstract Background Adolescent suicide, as a public health issue, is becoming increasingly urgent, yet there remains a lack of effective objective biomarkers for identifying high-risk adolescents. While testosterone has been linked to suicide, no definitive conclusions have been reached. Studies in specific populations defined by significant changes in age or hormone levels and by gender have shown greater reproducibility. This study aims to investigate the association between testosterone levels and suicidal ideation or behavior in male and female adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 1227 adolescents with MDD, aged 10–19 years, hospitalized at the Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2013 to December 2020. Patients were categorized into two groups: those with suicidal ideation or behavior (MDS) and those without (MDNS). Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and serum testosterone levels at admission were extracted and compared. An additional 579 adolescents meeting the same inclusion criteria were included for validation, with data collected from January 2022 to December 2023. Results In male adolescents, testosterone levels were significantly higher in the MDS group compared to the MDNS group(Z = -4.340, P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, testosterone levels remained significantly associated with suicidal ideation or behavior (OR = 1.220, 95% CI: 1.098–1.356). This finding was confirmed in the validation data set (OR = 1.444, 95% CI: 1.139–1.832). No significant difference in testosterone levels was observed in females (Z = 1.643, P = 0.100). Conclusions Elevated serum testosterone levels were independently associated with increased risk of suicidal ideation or behavior in male adolescents with MDD, but not in females. These findings highlight the necessity for sex-specific biomarkers, however, due to the intrinsic limitations of the current study, they necessitate further validation. Clinical trial number Not applicable.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07098-3AdolescentDepressionSuicideMaleTestosterone |
| spellingShingle | Han Wang Nan Lyu Juan Huang Bingbing Fu Lili Shang Fan Yang Ling Zhang Qian Zhao High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression BMC Psychiatry Adolescent Depression Suicide Male Testosterone |
| title | High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression |
| title_full | High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression |
| title_fullStr | High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression |
| title_full_unstemmed | High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression |
| title_short | High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression |
| title_sort | high testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression |
| topic | Adolescent Depression Suicide Male Testosterone |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07098-3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hanwang hightestosteronelevelsassociatedwithelevatedsuicidalriskinmaleadolescentswithdepression AT nanlyu hightestosteronelevelsassociatedwithelevatedsuicidalriskinmaleadolescentswithdepression AT juanhuang hightestosteronelevelsassociatedwithelevatedsuicidalriskinmaleadolescentswithdepression AT bingbingfu hightestosteronelevelsassociatedwithelevatedsuicidalriskinmaleadolescentswithdepression AT lilishang hightestosteronelevelsassociatedwithelevatedsuicidalriskinmaleadolescentswithdepression AT fanyang hightestosteronelevelsassociatedwithelevatedsuicidalriskinmaleadolescentswithdepression AT lingzhang hightestosteronelevelsassociatedwithelevatedsuicidalriskinmaleadolescentswithdepression AT qianzhao hightestosteronelevelsassociatedwithelevatedsuicidalriskinmaleadolescentswithdepression |