Comparison of Suicides Among Younger and Older Adolescents in Virginia, 2008–2017

* An abstract related to the content of this work was submitted for presentation at the American Public Health Association annual meeting in October 2021.

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Abstract

Objective: Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth and is of public health importance. Characteristics and precipitating circumstances may differ by adolescent age groups. Understanding these differences may inform prevention efforts that are population-specific. Therefore, we sought to compare suicides between younger and older adolescents in Virginia from 2008 to 2017.

Methods: We used data from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System (VVDRS), part of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). We included suicides of all adolescents aged 10–17 who were residents of Virginia from 2008 to 2017. Descriptive statistics and unadjusted logistic regression were used to compare characteristics and circumstances between younger (10–14) and older (15–17) adolescents.

Results: Three hundred and 24 (324) adolescents died by suicide between 2008 and 2017 in Virginia, of which 20% were younger adolescents, and 80% were older adolescents. Suicides of younger adolescents increased significantly over the 10-year period. Younger adolescent suicides seemed to occur after a crisis, while suicides among older adolescents occurred due to intimate partner problems and substance use. Mental health issues were common in both.

Conclusions: Suicides may be more impulsive among younger adolescents and warrants further attention, while strategies to cope with intimate partner problems and substance use may be important for older adolescents and should be considered when implementing services and interventions.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Impulsivity may be an issue among younger adolescents.

• Strategies for relationship and substance use issues may benefit older adolescents.

• Targeted interventions may be necessary for younger and older adolescents.

Keywords:

• Adolescent suicide
• descriptive analysis
• public health
• teens

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Data supporting the findings of this study can be requested from the corresponding author, DAD.

AUTHOR NOTES

Dane A. De Silva, Ph.D., Division of Death Prevention, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA, USA.

Ryan M. Diduk-Smith, Ph.D., Division of Death Prevention, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA, USA.

Notes

* An abstract related to the content of this work was submitted for presentation at the American Public Health Association annual meeting in October 2021.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 5 NU17CE924940-02-00 with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.

Notes on contributors

Dane A. De Silva

Dane A. De Silva, Division of Death Prevention, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA, USA.

Ryan M. Diduk-Smith

Ryan M. Diduk-Smith, Division of Death Prevention, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA, USA