From 1999 to 2014, suicide rates in the United States have increased by 33%, but the incidence always has been higher among men than women in all age groups.
Recent reports suggesting that suicide rates were increasing in girls prompted Donna A. Ruch, PhD, from the the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and her coauthors to undertake a cross-sectional study of all suicides in the United States among individuals aged 10-19 years, between 1975 and 2016.
During that time there were a total of 85,051 suicide deaths in youth aged 10-19 years; approximately 80% of the deaths were in males, representing a nearly fourfold higher rate in males than females (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 3.82).
From 1975 to 1993, researchers noted a 5.4% increase each year in suicide rates among girls aged 10-14 years and a 4.5% increase among boys in the same age group. From 2003-2007, suicide rates among both sexes declined until 2007, at which point the suicide rates among girls increased annually by 12.7%, compared with 7.1% among boys.
“The narrowing gap between male and female rates of suicide was most pronounced among youth aged 10 to 14 years, underscoring the importance of early prevention efforts that take both sex and developmental level into consideration,” the authors wrote.
Ethnicity was an influence, with the most consistent declining trend in male to female incidence rate ratio seen in non-Hispanic white youth, and also was significant in non-Hispanic youth of other races. There was no significant change in the male to female incidence rate ratio seen with younger non-Hispanic black youth or Hispanic youth.
The analysis also looked at method of suicide. The results showed that while the male to female incidence rate ratio for shooting suicides increased significantly in youth aged 15-19 years, it decreased for suicide by hanging or suffocation across all ages groups.
“Future research to identify sex-specific risk factors for youth suicide and distinct mechanisms of suicide in male and female individuals within racial/ethnic groups could lead to improved suicide prevention strategies and interventions,” the authors wrote.
One author was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, and declared unpaid board membership for the scientific advisory board of a mental health company. No other conflicts of interest were declared.