Childhood predictors of later suicide: Follow-up of a sample of gifted children

Abstract

By 1987, 8.7% of the deaths of the men and 5.2% of the deaths of the women in Terman's sample of gifted children were from suicide. Four variables distinguished those who killed themselves at a young age from those committing suicide later: the length of pregnancy, the length of breast feeding, loss of father by death or divorce, and a lower desire to excel.