Teen suicide is a heartbreaking and increasing issue in the United States. There are numerous elements that can contribute to a teen considering suicide, consisting of bullying, mental health difficulties, substance abuse, and family troubles.
The research study posits that social media, school stress, and guns play significant functions.
In the United States, suicide has become the second most common reason for sudden death among people aged 10 to 24. For teens aged 13 to 14, it is the leading cause of death.
A group of scientists from Florida Atlantic Universitys Schmidt College of Medicine, along with their collaborators, conducted a study to examine the pattern in suicide rates amongst 13 to 14-year-olds in the United States between 1999 and 2018. The study also investigated variations based upon elements such as gender, race, degree of urbanization, census region, month, and day of the week.
Outcomes, published online ahead of print in the journal Annals of Pediatrics and Child Health, showed that among kids ages 13 to 14, suicide rates more than doubled from 2008 to 2018, following an increase in social media and despite significant declines in suicide mortality in this age previously from 1999 to 2007. These trends were similar in urban and rural areas however were more common in boys in backwoods where firearms are more common.
These statistically significant increasing trends were similar by sex, urbanization, race, and census regions. In rural locations, guns were utilized in 46.7 percent of suicides in boys and 34.7 percent in city locations. Suicides occurred considerably more frequently between September and May and were highest on Monday followed by the rest of the weekdays, suggesting school tension was a contributor.
Scientists from FAUs Schmidt College of Medicine and partners recommend social media, school stress, and guns are major contributors. Credit: Alex Dolce, Florida Atlantic University
” While further analytic research studies are required, there are certainly crucial medical and public health implications based upon our research study findings,” stated Sarah K. Wood, M.D., senior author, professor of pediatrics, vice dean for medical education, and interim chair, Department of Womens and Childrens Health, in FAUs Schmidt College of Medicine. “Specifically, these detailed information have temporal correlates with social media, school tension, and guns, which require further research. In the on the other hand, there are clinical and public health efforts for those at greatest risks.”
From 2007 to 2018, in suicides among U.S. youths aged 13 to 14 years in cities (large central, big fringe, medium and small), 56.7 percent were due to hanging, strangulation, or suffocation, while in 34.7 percent, firearms were utilized. In medium and little metro, 38.9 percent of suicides was because of hanging, strangling, or suffocation, 38.9 percent were due to firearms. In rural (micropolitan and non-core, non-metro) areas, 46.9 percent of suicides were due to hanging, strangulation, or suffocation, while 46.7 percent was because of guns.
” During the years immediately preceding the onset of boosts in rates of suicide among 13 and 14-year-olds, numerous popular social networks platforms utilized by teenagers, consisting of Reddit, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and Tumblr were introduced. In aggregate, all of these websites have grown to billions of users, but big as they are, by 2018, all but YouTube were gone beyond in terms of teenager use by Instagram and Snapchat,” stated Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., DrPH, co-author, very first Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine, senior academic advisor to the dean, and interim chair, Department of Population Health and Social Medicine, in FAUs Schmidt College of Medicine, and an accessory teacher of household and neighborhood medicine, at Baylor College of Medicine.
Amongst the 4 U.S. Census areas, there were statistically substantial and incredibly similar increases in all locations, specifically the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.
” Our information show that non-metropolitan locations have greater rates of teen suicide, no matter technique and backwoods have higher rates due to firearms,” said Hennekens.
Reference: “Continuing Alarming Increases in Suicide in American youths: Clinical and Research Challenges” by Robert S. Levine, Elliott M. Levine, Alexandra Rubenstein, Vishnu Muppala, Maria C. Mejia, Sandra Gonzalez, Roger J Zoorob, Charles H. Hennekens and Sarah K. Wood, 19 April 2023, Annals of Pediatrics and Child Health.Link
For the research study, scientists used publicly available information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions “Multiple Cause of Death” fields.
Co-authors of the research study are Robert S. Levine, M.D., very first author and professor of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and an affiliate teacher in FAUs Schmidt College of Medicine; Elliott M. Levine, an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota; Alexandra Rubenstein, an entering medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine; Vishnu Muppala, M.D., an emergency situation department doctor local at Maimonides Hospital, and graduate of FAUs Schmidt College of Medicine; Maria C. Mejia, M.D., MPH, associate professor; Sandra Gonzalez, Ph.D., assistant professor; and Roger J. Zoorob, M.D., MPH, teacher and chair, all in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
There are many elements that can contribute to a teenager thinking about suicide, including bullying, psychological health difficulties, compound abuse, and family difficulties. In rural areas, firearms were used in 46.7 percent of suicides in young boys and 34.7 percent in urban locations. From 2007 to 2018, in suicides amongst U.S. youths aged 13 to 14 years in metropolitan areas (big main, large fringe, medium and little), 56.7 percent were due to hanging, strangulation, or suffocation, while in 34.7 percent, firearms were used. In medium and little metro, 38.9 percent of suicides were due to hanging, strangling, or suffocation, 38.9 percent were due to guns. In rural (micropolitan and non-core, non-metro) areas, 46.9 percent of suicides were due to hanging, strangulation, or suffocation, while 46.7 percent were due to firearms.
