AI Insight
This study analyzed 159,241 suicide deaths among US individuals aged 10-24 from 1999 to 2024, finding that while overall suicide rates declined between 2017 and 2024, significant disparities emerged by sex and method. The decrease was primarily driven by reductions in male suicides and asphyxiation-related deaths, while suicide rates among females aged 10-14 increased consistently since 2011, and firearm-related suicides rose among females in certain age groups. The male-to-female suicide rate gap narrowed by 18.9% during the recent decline period, and deaths by less common methods like jumping showed significant increases across both sexes.
Why it matters
These findings indicate that current suicide prevention strategies may be more effective for male adolescents than females, particularly in the youngest age group. The results suggest an urgent need to adapt prevention approaches and means restriction interventions specifically for female adolescents aged 10-14, as well as increased attention to emerging patterns in suicide methods including firearms and less common means.
⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Background: Suicide is the second leading cause of death in US adolescents aged 10-24. Method use strongly influences lethality and design of prevention strategies, but recent trends remain unclear. We therefore aimed to investigate trends in suicide mortality rates by method, age group, and sex. Methods: This cross-sectional study used suicide mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics for a quarter-century period, between 1999 and 2024. All individuals aged 10-24 years at the time of death, with suicide as the underlying cause, were included. We estimated suicide mortality rates (i.e., the number of suicide deaths per 100,000 people) and annual percent change by method (firearm, asphyxiation, poisoning, other), age group (10-14, 15-19, 20-24), and sex. Changing trend time points were determined using Joinpoint regression models Results: From 1999 to 2024, 159,241 suicide deaths occurred among individuals aged 10-24. While suicide rates declined across all age groups between 2017 and 2024, the male-to-female gap narrowed by 18.9%. Among 10-14-year-olds, declining rates among males masked a consistent increase in female suicide rates since 2011. Although asphyxiation-related suicides decreased across all groups since 2018, firearm suicide rates increased for females in the 10-14 and 20-24 age groups. Albeit not as common as firearms or asphyxiation, poisoning suicide rates increased in the 15-19 and 20-24 age groups. Since 1999, suicide rates by other less common methods (e.g., jumping) showed significant increases, for both sexes, especially among individuals aged 20-24. Suicide rates were consistently highest in the 20-24 age group across all study years. Conclusion: The decrease in suicide mortality rates among individuals aged 10-24 was largely driven by declines in males and reductions in asphyxiation-related suicides. However, increasing female suicide rates in the 10-14 age group, as well as increasing rates of death by less common means, warrant close attention. While suicide prevention efforts like structural interventions and means restriction have shown effectiveness among male adolescents, priority should now be given to adapting these approaches for female adolescents, particularly those aged 10-14.
Source: Trends in Suicide Mortality by Method among US Individuals aged 10-24 Years from 1999 to 2024