Sociodemographic Influences on Suicide Risk Screening and Management in Hospitalized Youths

Characterizing the relationship between sociodemographic factors and youth suicide risk is crucial for developing prevention strategies and targeted interventions.

We aimed to describe the relationship between hospital-based suicide-risk screening and sociodemographics (race and ethnicity, sex, age, and neighborhood socioeconomic status), discharge disposition, and reuse rates in those with positive screens.

This is a retrospective study of patients aged 10 to 17 years hospitalized between May 2021 and May 2022 at a freestanding children's hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Screening rates and results were compared across groups using chi-square tests and logistic regression.

Five thousand two hundred sixty-one encounters were included, and 83.2% (4375/5261) received suicide-risk screening. Of those screened, 19.3% (843/4375) had positive suicide-risk results. Screening rates were significantly higher among Black or African American patients (P < .001), girls (P = .01), and those aged 13 to 17 years (P < .001). Positive suicide-risk results were most frequent among Hispanic/Latino/Latinx patients (P = .01) and girls (P < .001). Patients aged 10 to 12 years were screened less frequently and had fewer positive suicide-risk results (P < .001). There were no differences based on neighborhood socioeconomic status. Black or African American patients were discharged home more often than white patients (P < .001). Patients with positive suicide-risk screens discharged home had a 6.1% emergency department revisit rate within 7 days of discharge compared with 2.4% of those transferred to inpatient psychiatry (P = .05).

We found differences in screening incidence and result (Black or African American and Latinx, sex, and preteens), discharge disposition (Black or African American), and hospital reuse (discharge home) after a positive suicide-risk screen. Our findings call for increased consideration of social determinants when caring for hospitalized youth.