University of Toronto researchers suggest that adult children whose parents divorce are more likely to have considered suicide than peers from intact families.

In a paper published in the journal Psychiatry Research, the authors evaluated a sample of 6,647 adults. Of this population, a total of 695 had experienced parental divorce before the age of 18. The findings revealed that males had three times the odds of suicidal ideation, compared to peers whose parents had stayed together. Additionally, adult daughters of divorced parents had 83 percent higher odds of suicidal ideation.

"This study suggests that the pathways linking parental divorce to suicidal ideation are different for men and women," the researchers explained. "The association between parental divorce and suicidal thoughts in men was unexpectedly strong."

They suggested that this gender-specific effect may be the fact that adult sons may not remain in close contact with their father after a divorce. A lessening relationship with a paternal figure has been shown to lead to adverse developmental outcomes in boys.

Young men who experience suicidal ideation could receive the guidance and support that they require from attending a residential school for teens.