American Indian or Alaskan Native young adults twice as likely to commit suicide

From 2012 to 2013, American Indian or Alaskan Native young adults were more than two times as likely to commit suicide compared with other race and ethnicity groups, according to a data brief from the National Center for Health Statistics.

“Among teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 24, suicide was the second leading cause of death in 2013. Because patterns of suicide may be different for young adults aged 18 to 24 than for teens aged 15 to 17, this Health E-Stat examines suicide rates and methods among young adults aged 18 to 24, by sex and race and Hispanic origin, using recent mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS),” the researchers wrote.

The NVSS data used are from the Multiple Cause of Death files for 1999 to 2013. Deaths were classified using the ICD-10. The report combines data from 2012 to 2013 and 2009 to 2013.

From 2012 to 2013, young adult males aged 18 to 24 years were more likely to commit suicide than young adult females. This association was found among the five race and ethnicity groups studies, including non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Suicide rates were highest among American Indian or Alaskan Native individuals, at 34.3 deaths per 100,000 population for males and 9.9 per 100,000 for females.

Compared with other race and ethnicity groups, American Indian or Alaskan Native young adults were more than two times as likely to commit suicide. Further, suicide rates for American Indian or Alaskan Native young adults may be underestimated, according to researchers, as a previous study found that overall deaths for this population were underreported by 30%.

The most common method used for suicide among non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white young adults was firearms, followed by suffocation, according to combined data from 2009 to 2013.

For Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaskan Native young adults, suffocation was the most common method used to commit suicide, followed by firearms.

Poisoning (12.6%) and falls (8.1%) were more common among Asian or Pacific Islander young adults who committed suicide compared with other race and ethnicity groups.

“Values for the [American Indian or Alaskan Native], [Asian or Pacific Islander], and Hispanic-origin populations should be interpreted with caution. Deaths for the [American Indian or Alaskan Native] population were found to be underreported by 30%, for the Asian or Pacific Islander population by 7%, and for the Hispanic-origin population by 5%,” according to researchers. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: Please see the full study for a list of relevant financial disclosures.

Reference:

Jiang C, et al. Racial and gender disparities in suicide among young adults aged 19-24: United States, 2009-2013. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/upcoming.htm. Accessed Sept. 29, 2015.