Intersectional Trends in Method-Specific Suicide Among Adolescents in the United States, 2006-2023: A Pooled...

Suicide rates among adolescents in the United States (US) are rising. We examined intersectional trends in method-specific suicide by race/ethnicity, sex, and age (10-14 vs. 15-19 years) from 2006 to 2023.

Using US national mortality data, we calculated method-specific suicide rates among adolescents aged 10-19 years across three periods (2006-2011, 2012-2017, and 2018-2023) by race/ethnicity, sex, and age group. Rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using non-Hispanic (NH) White adolescents as the reference.

Across 60 intersectional groups (sex × age × race/ethnicity × period), hanging was the leading suicide method in 51 groups. Suicide rates increased in most groups, but the magnitude varied. Firearm suicide rates rose 10-fold among NH Black girls aged 10-14 years, from 0.06 per 100,000 in 2006-2011 to 0.60 in 2018-2023 versus a three-fold increase among NH White girls (0.15-0.47). The rate ratio for NH Black versus NH White girls increased from 0.40 (95% CI: 0.17-0.93) to 1.28 (95% CI: 0.93-1.76). Poisoning suicide rates increased among NH Black, Hispanic, and Asian and Pacific Islander adolescents aged 15-19 years. Asian and Pacific Islander adolescents aged 15-19 years had the highest rates of suicide by jumping across racial/ethnic groups.

Method-specific suicide rates are rising among US adolescents, particularly among racial/ethnic minority groups and certain age-sex subgroups. These findings highlight the need for targeted, culturally informed suicide prevention strategies that restrict access to lethal means.