In 2021, suicide was the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-14 and third leading cause of death among youth ages 15-24 in the United States. In recent decades, Black and Hispanic/Latine youth are increasingly reporting higher rates of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors compared to their Non-Hispanic White peers. Understanding where Black and Hispanic youth who are at elevated risk for suicide (i.e., reporting self-injurious thoughts or behaviors) are utilizing services can tell us where and how to improve identification efforts to enhance suicide prevention.
What is the issue?
- Black and Hispanic/Latin youth are experiencing disproportionate increases in risk for suicide, defined as the presence of reporting self-injurious thoughts or behaviors.
- This risk is exacerbated by greater exposure to specific types of adverse childhood experiences and trauma exposures, such as race- and ethnicity-based discrimination, community violence, and parental involvement in the legal/carceral system.
- The identification and referral of youth at risk for suicide within healthcare sectors is often hindered by systemic access barriers, such as cost of services, access to insurance.
- Service sectors outside of healthcare, such as social services and schools, may offer additional opportunities to identify and refer youth at risk, but less is known regarding mental health service utilization from these non-healthcare services.