Adolescent Firearm Suicides in the United States

Exploring Racial and Ethnic Differences, 2004 to 2020

Bibliographic Data

ID2329593
AuthorsEugenio Weigend Vargas (0000-0001-8594-9255, University of Michigan, corresponding author), Cynthia Ewell Foster (0000-0002-1005-8746, University of Michigan), Sasha Mintz (0000-0002-1093-7775, Michigan Public Health Institute), Heather A Hartman (0000-0002-0164-4575, University of Michigan), Laura Seewald (0000-0003-2664-4480, University of Michigan), Rebeccah L Sokol (0000-0003-3892-2337, University of Michigan), Rebeccah Sokol (University of Michigan), Peter F Ehrlich (0000-0001-6161-1815, University of Michigan), Patrick M Carter (0000-0001-7605-2980, University of Michigan), Jason E Goldstick (0000-0002-7599-2214, University of Michigan)
Year2024
Volume56
Issue8
Pages1542-1557
Publication date2024-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueYouth & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0044-118X • E-ISSN: 1552-8499
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0044118x241277202
PMID40995107
OpenAlexW4402099852
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited26

Firearm suicides among adolescents have increased in the US and rates vary across racial and ethnic groups. In this study, we examined contextual information around adolescent firearm suicides and analyzed how incident characteristics vary across racial and ethnic groups. We analyzed firearm suicides among adolescents (ages 10-18 years) from 2004 to 2020 using data from the National Fatality Review-Case Reporting System (NFR-CRS). There were 4,153 firearm suicides during that period. Suicides often involved males, older adolescents (15-18 years), and handguns. Most firearms belonged to the primary caregiver and incidents frequently occurred at home. However, we found that characteristics varied substantially across racial and ethnic groups. Overall, we provide new information on firearm suicides among adolescents in the US using a larger dataset than previous studies and found significant differences in characteristics and demographics across racial and ethnic groups. This finding suggests the need for tailored prevention strategies

Criminology · Environmental health · Ethnic group · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Race (biology) · Racial bias · Racial differences · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Demography · Gender Studies · Gun Ownership and Violence Research · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Medicine · Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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Open DOIOpen Access