Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Science
Copyright Statement
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Department
College of Health Care Sciences – Health Science Department
First Advisor
Patricia Kelly
Publication Date / Copyright Date
2015
Publisher
Nova Southeastern University. College of Health Care Sciences.
NSUWorks Citation
Christen Kutz. 2015. CAG Repeat Length and Suicidality in Huntington's disease. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Health Care Sciences – Health Science Department. (1)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_hs_stuetd/1.
Abstract
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between suicide and CAG repeat length in Huntington’s disease. Methodology: A case-control study using the COHORT Study de-identified database was conducted. Responses were collected from 163 participants. Depression, substance abuse history and use of benzodiazepines were covariates. Responses to the UHDRS behavioral section pertaining to the frequency and severity of suicidal ideation (“feels life is not worth living”, “has suicidal thoughts”) were analyzed. Results: Despite taking depression, benzodiazepine use, and history of substance abuse into account, there was a predictive relationship between CAG repeat length and frequency of suicidal ideation (p = .010). When the effect of depression was taken into account, there was no significant relationship between CAG repeat length and the severity of suicidal ideation. Recommendations: The findings from this quantitative analysis supported using CAG length in a clinician’s risk factor assessment to determine the frequency of suicidality.
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Keywords
Health and environmental sciences, CAG repeat length, Huntington's disease, Suicidal ideation, Suicidality, Suicide