The rates of preteen suicide have been on the rise, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health researchers. The study, published last week in the journal JAMA Network Open, found that preteen suicide rates increased by about 8% annually between 2008 and 2022. That followed a downward trend until 2007.
The overall rate of suicide for preteens, ages 8-12, increased from 3.34 per 1 million between 2001 and 2007 to 5.71 per 1 million between 2008 and 2022.
Girls had a disproportionate increase in suicide rates compared to boys. Black children had the highest overall suicide rate. And Hispanic children had the greatest percentage increase in suicide rate.
Suicide became the fifth-leading cause of death for preteen girls between 2008 and 2022, up from 11th in the previous period. Suicide remained the fifth-leading cause of death for preteen boys. Social isolation increased during the pandemic.
But it was already on the rise, particularly for young people, said Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, the chief medical officer at The Jed Foundation (JED), a nonprofit organization focused on youth mental health. Children are feeling uncertain about the future, grappling with news of wars, climate change and discrimination, Erickson-Schroth said.
“Children and teens are also living in a different world today than previous generations,” she said via email. “They live much of their lives online, where they are regularly exposed to political conflict and cultural violence.” S.