SW New Mexico News

Suicide rates among American Indian and Alaska Native children are on the rise, according to a recent study involving New Mexico State University. The research, co-authored by Jagdish Khubchandani, a professor of public health at NMSU, was published in the October 2024 edition of the Journal of Community Health.

The study utilized data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to analyze suicides between 2015 and 2021. It found that 257 adolescents died by suicide during this period, with males and older American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents being most affected. The prevalent methods were suffocation and firearms.

“Suicides are among the leading causes of death for American children and, unfortunately, suicides are now ranking among the top 10 causes of death for children and teenagers,” said Khubchandani. He expressed concern over the lack of national discussion addressing this issue.

The study reveals that American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents have a crude suicide death rate of 18.95 per 100,000—the highest among racial/ethnic groups—and lost nearly 16,000 years of potential life due to suicide from 2015 to 2021. Most life years lost were attributed to male children.

Further findings show that more than a quarter of these adolescents considered attempting suicide, almost 20% planned it, and over 10% attempted it within the studied timeframe. A separate study by Khubchandani indicated an increase in firearm deaths among these populations, primarily due to suicides.

“To prevent suicides among American Indian and Alaska Native populations, we urgently need to understand the risk factors from a lifespan approach,” stated Khubchandani. He highlighted various risk factors including childhood adversity, poverty, racial discrimination, family conflicts, untreated mental health issues, social isolation, substance abuse, and bullying.

Khubchandani proposed two strategies: improving mental health literacy and access to care as well as enhancing school and community environments to foster resilience and support for these children.

For further details on the study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10900-024-01411-z