Youth Violence Research Bulletin -- March 2004 -- Juvenile Suicides, 1981


J. Robert Flores, OJJDP Administrator	March 2004

Juvenile Suicides, 1981–1998

Howard N. Snyder and Monica H. Swahn

Introduction

Suicide was the fourth leading cause of death for juveniles older than age 6

Juvenile males were more likely to commit suicide than juvenile females

American Indian youth were far more likely to commit suicide than youth of other races

Suicides involving black juveniles increased substantially between 1981 and 1994

White youth and American Indian youth were at greater risk of suicide than murder

The relative risk of suicide, as compared with murder, increased substantially with age for white juveniles

Most juvenile suicides involved firearms

Use of firearms in homicides and suicides varied by gender and race

Trends in juvenile suicides and murders were largely tied to firearms

Data source notes

Endnotes

About This Series

The Surgeon General’s report on youth violence, released in January 2001, notes that youth violence is a serious public health issue that affects millions of children and their families. A shared commitment to ending youth violence has led to a strong partnership between the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The partnership is dedicated, in part, to promoting the Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative, which identifies and disseminates information nationwide about violence prevention and intervention programs that have been found effective.

The Youth Violence Research Bulletin Series is the most recent endeavor in the OJJDP–CDC partnership. The series presents the latest research findings on critical topics related to youth violence, including gangs, firearms, suicide prevention, and the impact of violence on youth. The Bulletins discuss research in a way that makes it relevant to both the public health and juvenile justice fields and are written in a style that is accessible to all readers, including practitioners, service providers, parents, and policymakers. By focusing on the issue of youth violence and emphasizing the public health benefits of reducing violence among youth and within families, OJJDP and CDC hope to help all children have the opportunity to lead safe and productive lives.

NCJ 196978

This Bulletin was prepared under cooperative agreement number 1999–JN–FX–K002 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.

Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

Acknowledgments

This Bulletin was written by Howard N. Snyder, Ph.D., Director of Systems Research, National Center for Juvenile Justice, and Monica H. Swahn, Ph.D., Senior Service Fellow, Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance provided by Steve James of CDC. This work was partially funded by OJJDP’s National Juvenile Justice Data Analysis Project.

Access OJJDP publications online at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp