Research shows suicide rates among Asian American and Pacific Islander youth rose sharply from 1999 to 2021

A study examining 1,880 Asian American or Pacific Islander youth who died by suicide during their first 20 years found that the suicide rate increased by 72% for men, and 125% for women. Suicide rates among men peaked in 2019, and among women in 2020. Suicide is the leading cause of death among Asian and Pacific Islander youth.

The results, using the National Center for Health Statistics for Asian American or Pacific Islander youth ages 10 to 19 who died by suicide, were: published in the July 25 issue of JAMA network opened.

The study authors, Brian TaeHyuk, the Buehler Family Sesquicentennial Endowed Assistant Professor at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development in BC; Seungbin Oh, assistant professor in the Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Program at Boston University; and Arielle H. Sheftall, associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, suspect that economic downturns during the Great Recession and cyberbullying with the rise of social media platforms were possible contributing causes.

In the US, Asian American individuals are the fastest growing racial group, while Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander individuals are the third fastest rising.

The authors point to mental health issues, especially among Pacific Islander male family leaders during the 2007-2009 recession, that may have increased the suicide risk factor for young men. At the same time, online sexism and racism against Asian women increased, which may have increased the risk factor for women.

Finally, intersectional discrimination – the compounding factors of race and gender – may have contributed to the greater increase in suicide rates among women relative to men.

In an accompanying commentary by Anthony L. Bui, MD, of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and Anna S. Lau of UCLA, the authors emphasize that despite the critical importance of preventing suicide among this growing population, the study of mental health among Asian American and Pacific Islander populations has been historically understudied and nationally underfunded.

“To curb worsening youth suicide rates, we need meaningful investments in research along the translational spectrum, the intentional development of the physician workforce to serve (this) community in the youth care sectors, better surveillance and culturally tailored, at evidence-based and community-based interventions to support youth mental health in Asia and the Pacific,” they said.