Suicide Rates Increasing among US Preteens, Particularly among Girls, Black and Hispanic Youth

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Suicide rates among US preteens aged 8 to 12 years increased significantly in the past 2 decades, with the greatest increases observed among girls and Black and Hispanic youths, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

In the cross-sectional study of national mortality data from 2001 to 2022, researchers reported that following a decrease in suicide rates from 2001 to 2007 (annual percent change [APC] -4.34, 95% CI -28.88 to 4.65), rates significantly increased by 8.19% (95% CI 6.25 – 16.68) annually from 2008 to 2022. These data corresponded to a significant increase in overall suicide rates between those 2 periods, from 3.34 to 5.71 per every 1 million persons (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.71, 95% CI 1.54-1.89).

Investigators noted that the rates of suicide increased significantly among all subgroups studied between 2001-2007 and 2008-2022, with the greatest increases among girls (IRR 3.32%, CI 2.66-4.15); Native American or Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander preteens (IRR 1.99, 95% CI 1.28-3.09); and Hispanic preteens (IRR 2.06, 95% CI 1.61-2.65). Although Hispanic preteens had the highest rate increase between those periods, investigators found that the rate of suicide remained highest among Black preteens from both 2001 to 2007 (4.94 per 1 million persons) and 2008 to 2022 (8.5 per 1 million persons).

“These findings highlight a need to better understand suicide risk among racial and ethnic subgroups, including multiracial individuals who comprise the fastest-growing racial group in the US,” first author Donna Ruch, PhD, senior research scientist at the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and faculty member in the department of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and colleagues wrote.

According to Ruch and coauthors, there is a lack of information about the epidemiology of preteen suicide, which may limit prevention efforts. They conducted the current study to investigate trends and characteristics of suicide rates among US preteens using 2001 to 2022 national mortality data from the Web-based Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) where suicide was listed as the underlying cause of death. Researchers analyzed cases by sex, race and ethnicity, suicide method, metropolitan or nonmetropolitan area, and region.

Overall, the results showed that 2241 preteens died by suicide from 2001 to 2022, among whom 31.9% were girls and 68.1% were boys. In addition, 68.3% were White, 24.5% were Black, 18.85 were Hispanic, and 7.2% were American Indian or Alaska Native.

In terms of method, the largest increase was seen in suicide by firearm (IRR 2.29, 95% CI 1.82-2.87), although hanging or suffocation was the predominant method for the entire study period.

Limitations to the current study include the potential misclassification of suicides as other causes of death and the researchers’ inability to examine suicide data through an intersectionality lens due to small cell counts in the WISQARS.

“This study provides a foundation for future research to explore unique factors associated with preteen suicide,” Ruch et al concluded. “The findings also support the need for culturally informed and developmentally appropriate prevention efforts that emphasize robust risk screening and lethal means restriction.”

Reference: Ruch DA, Horowitz LM, Hughes JL, et al. Suicide in US preteens aged 8 to 12 years, 2001 to 2022. JAMA Netw Open. Published online July 30, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.24664