A growing number of young women abuse substances and engage in suicidal
behavior. Combinations of these problems are under-researched. Research that
exists includes women of all ages in the samples. This study adds information to the
current state of knowledge on these problem behaviors by limiting the sample to
women ages 30 to 39 years. A group of 113 women, part of a larger study of 364
women who had received inpatient psychiatric treatment,was included in this study.
Findings revealed that most of the women had made at least one suicide attempt and
nearly one-quarter were in the hospital for a current attempt. Almost 60% had
engaged in substance abuse at some point in their lives. The combination of continued
substance abuse and suicidal behavior could result in an early death for some
women. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.
