According to a new study from JAMA Pediatrics, suicide rates among young Asian Americans (ages 15-24) have risen sharply in recent years.
The study examined 1,880 Asian American or Pacific Islander youth who died by suicide during their first two decades. They found that the suicide rate for males increased by 72% and 125% for females. Among males, suicide rates peaked in 2019, while for females, it peaked in 2020. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Asian American and Pacific Islander youth.
In an interview with the University of Washington Newsroom, Dr. Anthony L. Bui, the study’s lead author and acting assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, said programs should aim to meet the needs when attempting to reduce suicide rates among young Asian Americans.
“When we’re designing policies and programs to address this problem, we need to think about which communities to focus on and how to make our mental health interventions appropriate, taking into account things like culture, language and community resources,” said Bui.
The research analyzed suicide rates from 2018 to 2021, finding significant differences between Asian American subpopulations. The study examined data from five specific ethnic groups: Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Korean, and Vietnamese, as well as a broader category of “all other” ethnicities, including Bangladeshis, Bhutanese, Burmese, Cambodians, Hmong, Indonesians, Japanese, Laotians, and more.
Suicide rates among Asian American youth
2018 – 2021 per 100,000
Ages 15-24
Asian Americans 9.17
Non-Asian Americans 10.77
Vietnamese Americans 10.57
Chinese Americans 7.59
Filipino American 7.64
Korean American 8.44
Indian American 6.91
All Others 13.37
The suicide rate among Asian American youth was lower than that of non-Asian Americans, with 9.17 deaths per 100,000 compared to 10.77 deaths per 100,000. In terms of suicide rates, Vietnamese youths had the highest rate at 10.57 per 100,000, followed by “all other” youths at 13.37 per 100,000. Indian youths, on the other hand, had the lowest suicide rate within the Asian American category at 6.91 per 100,000. Chinese, Filipino and Korean youths had intermediate rates of 7.59, 7.64, and 8.44 per 100,000, respectively.
According to Northwest Asian Weekly, for young adults, the suicide rate among Asian Americans is 14.18 per 100,000, which is much lower than non-Asian Americans, 18.32. Among this group, Vietnamese young adults had the highest suicide rate, 17.66 per 100,000, followed by the “all other” category at 16.79 per 100,000. The lowest suicide rate was in China, 9.24.
“The important takeaway of this study is that we don’t lump data about Asian Americans into one large category, because when we do, it hides underlying disparities,” Bui said. “By disaggregating these data, we gain a better understanding of what’s happening in these communities and which interventions could really help.”
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