Analysis of suicide-related deaths among children aged 0-14 years in Türkiye

Child suicide is a significant public health issue that profoundly impacts not only parents but also society. Each country needs to analyse child suicide rates to formulate effective prevention strategies. This study retrospectively analyses suicide deaths among children under 15 years in Türkiye between 2013 and 2023, focusing on demographic characteristics, methods, and reasons for suicide, using data from the Turkish Statistical Institute. A total of 868 child suicides were detected. More than half of the child suicides (51.5 %) were female. Child suicide rates remained significantly lower than those in the general population. The highest suicide rate occurred in 2014, and the lowest in 2020. A significant decreasing trend in child suicides was detected over time, and this decrease was replaced by an increase in 2020, the start of the pandemic. Hanging and firearms were the most common methods across genders, while jumping from height (OR: 2.18, p < 0.001) and chemical poisoning (OR: 6.50, p < 0.001) were more frequent among females. Illness was a more common suicide reason in females (OR: 2.03, p < 0.01), whereas family incompatibility predominated among males. Although child suicides represent a small proportion of overall suicides in Türkiye, gender-specific differences in methods and reasons were observed. The temporal fluctuations, particularly the peak in 2014 and the post-2020 increase, underscore the importance of monitoring child suicide trends and implementing preventive mental health strategies tailored to children.