Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Suicide Risk Nearly Doubled Among Teenagers Who Suffer Sleep Deprivation

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by PsyPost.

In a new study published in BMC Psychiatry, researchers have uncovered a concerning link between sleep duration and suicidal thoughts among American teenagers. The study, which analyzed data from over a hundred thousand adolescents, reveals that inadequate sleep may significantly increase the risk of experiencing suicidal ideation and behavior among young people.

The study sought to understand whether sleep could be a significant risk factor for suicidal behaviors and whether this relationship varied across racial and ethnic groups.

The research utilized data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a series of surveys conducted in U.S. high schools every two years. The YRBSS surveys include representative samples of high school students, providing valuable insights into adolescent health. For this study, data collected from 2007 to 2019, involving 103,525 adolescents, were analyzed.

The study measured four critical outcome variables related to suicide: suicide attempt, suicidal ideation (thoughts/fantasies), suicide plan, and injurious suicide attempt. Adolescents’ sleep duration was categorized into two groups: those with less than 8 hours of sleep per night (short sleep) and those with 8 or more hours of sleep (long sleep), in accordance with sleep health recommendations.

The researchers found that, across all racial groups, suicide ideation and behavior increased from 2007 to 2019. After adjusting for various covariates, the researchers observed a substantial association between short sleep duration and suicidal ideation/behavior. Adolescents with less than 8 hours of sleep had nearly twice the odds of experiencing suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, plans, or injurious suicide attempts compared to those with 8 or more hours of sleep.

Source: PsyPost
https://www.psypost.org/2023/10/suicide-risk-nearly-doubled-among-teenagers-who-suffer-sleep-deprivation-study-finds-213905

Seasonal Peaks in Teen Suicidality Occur in April and October, Research Shows

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by News-Medical.

The incidences of teen suicidality, including self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts, increased nationally between 2016 and 2021; were at seasonal high peaks in April and October, and were at their lowest when schools were shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research at UTHealth Houston.

The study was published this month in JAMA Network Open.

In the cross-sectional study, researchers looked at 73,123 emergency department visits and hospitalizations that occurred among more than a million youth and adolescents each year for suicidality between 2016 and 2021. The national database is administrated by Millard Krause, DrPH, professor in the Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health at the School of Public Health and co-director at the Center for Health Care Data.

Among these events, nearly 66% were females with the average age of 15. From 2016 to 2019, there was an increase in incidence from 760 per 100,000 to 1,006 per 100,000. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a temporary decrease to 942 per 100,000 and then a jump to 1,160 per 100,000 in 2021.

"There was a linear trend where the increase was consistent from 2016 to 2019, and then a drop in 2020. However, the rebound in 2021 did not resume along that trend line, it actually overshot it," Scott D. Lane, PhD, professor and vice chair for research in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston said. "We found a post-COVID increase in suicidality beyond what would be expected, and it was particularly salient in females."

During pre-COVID-19 years and 2021, seasonal patterns showed peaks in April and October with a dramatic low in the summer months. consistent with the school calendar. However, for the spring of 2020, during the time when schools were shut down, April and May had the lowest rates.

Given the findings, researchers suggest interventions during the peak months of April and October, especially for adolescent females, could help in protect against seasonal increases in suicidality.

Source: News-Medical
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230719/Seasonal-peaks-in-teen-suicidality-occur-in-April-and-October-research-shows.aspx

Sleep Troubles Tied to Suicidal Thoughts in Teens

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

It is already known that getting enough sleep is vital to good health, but now new research suggests that having a sleep disorder is linked to suicidal thoughts in children, teens and young adults.

Treating these sleep issues could be an inroad to improving their mental health, the study authors suggested.

"People so often think of sleep disorders as being a symptom of other mental health problems like depression or anxiety," said Melynda Casement, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, in Eugene. "But sleep problems can also contribute to anxiety, mood disorders, and suicide risk," she explained in a university news release.

The researchers looked at emergency department records for a nationally representative sample of children, adolescents, and young adults aged 6 to 24.

The investigators found that youth with a sleep disorder were three times more likely to be seen in an emergency department with suicidal thoughts than those who did not have a sleep disorder.

While suicide is still stigmatized, sleep disorders do not carry that same stigma. So, identifying and treating these could improve mental health and reduce suicide risk even when people aren't comfortable talking about their mental health challenges, the study authors said.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/sleep-in-teens-2661410212.html

Social Stress, Problem-Solving Deficits Contribute to Suicide Risk for Teen Girls

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Teen girls who have greater difficulty effectively solving interpersonal problems when they experience social stress and those who experience more interpersonal stress in their lives are at greater risk of suicidal behavior suggests research published by the American Psychological Association.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among teens, and rates of suicidal behavior are particularly high among girls. Previous research has found that interpersonal stressors—such as conflict with peers, friends and family—are related to suicidal behavior. Some theories of suicidal behavior suggest that poor social problem-solving skills may contribute to the link, possibly because teens with poorer social problem-solving skills are more likely to see suicide as a viable solution to their distress when they feel they've exhausted other options.

The current study aimed to test these associations by considering both experimentally simulated and real-world measures of social stress. The research, "Social Problem-Solving and Suicidal Behavior in Adolescent Girls: A Prospective Examination of Proximal and Distal Social Stress-Related Risk Factors," was published online May 25 in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science.

Participants were 185 girls ages 12 to 17 who had experienced some mental health concerns in the past two years.

"The findings provide empirical support for cognitive and behavioral theories of suicide that suggest that deficits in abilities to effectively manage and solve interpersonal problems may be related to suicidal behavior," said study lead author Olivia Pollak, MA, of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Clinically, this is notable, as problem-solving features prominently in several treatments for suicidal or self-harming behaviors."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05-social-stress-problem-solving-deficits-contribute.html

Which Kids Face the Highest Risk of Self-Harm?

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

Growing numbers of American kids and teens are cutting or burning themselves, banging their heads against walls, pulling out their hair and even trying to die by suicide. But figuring out who is at highest risk for harming themselves has been a daunting challenge until now.

Researchers report they have developed risk profiles that can help doctors pinpoint which kids or teens are in the most danger.

"The U.S. is in the midst of a mental health crisis, with mental health diagnoses and hospitalizations surging over the past few years, and many of these hospitalizations are for self-harm events or concern for future self-harm," said study author Dr. James Antoon, an assistant professor of pediatrics and hospital medicine at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

"Self-harm is a big bucket of events from mild things like cutting on the arms or thighs to taking so much Tylenol that you die on purpose or jumping out of a window, and we wanted to find out which kids require hospitalization and more intensive treatment and monitoring," he said.

His team developed four risk profiles for serious self-harm based on age, gender, and psychiatric and medical conditions. Of nearly 1,100 children hospitalized for psychiatric reasons at two children's hospitals from April 2016 to March 2020, 37% were there for self-harm.

The researchers found that boys aged 10 to 13 with ADHD, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, or another developmental disorder were 80% more likely to engage in serious self-harm behavior that requires hospitalization. Meanwhile, teen girls aged 14 to 17 with depression and anxiety, substance- and trauma-related disorders, and personality and eating disorders were also at high risk for serious self-harm, the study showed.

Suicide attempts comprised the majority of serious self-harm behaviors in the study.

In a counterintuitive finding, kids who were at moderate risk for serious self-harm didn't necessarily have depression, Antoon said. "It is assumed that if you are suicidal, you must be depressed, but there are other things that can drive self-harm and suicide, including anxiety disorders," he noted.

The study was published online in the journal Pediatrics.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/self-harm-2659908631.html

Suicide Rates Among US Adolescents Doubled in 10 Years

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Suicides among the youngest U.S. teenagers were rising for years before the pandemic—with school stress, social media, and guns standing as potential factors, according to a new study. Researchers found that between 2008 and 2018, the suicide rate among 13- and 14-year-olds nationwide more than doubled—from roughly two deaths per 100,000 teens in 2008 to five per 100,000 a decade later.

It was a stark reversal of a decline that began in the late-1990s.

And if fact, suicide is now the leading cause of death for 13- and 14-year-olds in the United States, said senior researcher Dr. Sarah Wood, a professor of pediatrics at Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine.

The study published online recently in the Annals of Pediatrics and Child Health comes amid growing concerns about U.S. kids' mental well-being.

"In my mind, this study is another warning bell," Wood said. "Things are not improving. They're getting worse."

The study found certain other patterns, too. One was related to geography, with suicide rates being higher in rural areas than in big cities, specifically when it came to firearm deaths: There are 2.3 such deaths per 100,000 in rural areas versus 1.6 per 100,000 in large cities.

The researchers also found that young teens' suicide rates spiked during the school year and dropped off in the summer, suggesting that school stress may be a factor.

Although studies paint a grim picture, Wood also pointed out that teen suicide remains relatively rare. She sees findings like these as a way to raise awareness and "mobilize us."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05-suicide-adolescents-years.html

COVID-19 Pandemic Saw Major Increase in Children and Adolescents Attempting Suicide by Poison

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

The rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning among children and adolescents ages 10-19 reported to U.S. poison centers increased 30% during 2021—the COVID-19 pandemic's first full year—compared with 2019, a new University of Virginia Health study has found.

The researchers published their findings in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning among children ages 10-12 increased 73% during 2021 compared with 2019. Among adolescents ages 13-15, the rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning in 2021 increased 48.8% over 2019. The rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning among females ages 10-19 increased 36.8% in 2021 over 2019.

The findings are based on a review of cases reported to the National Poison Data System by U.S. poison centers as "intentional suspected suicide," which encompasses both suspected suicide attempts and intentional self-harm. Girls accounted for 81.2% of the suspected suicide attempts among adolescents ages 10-19 in 2021, compared with 77% in 2019. These increases in suspected suicides occurred while overall calls to the nation's poison centers decreased 3.1% from 2019 to 2021.

"This significant increase in suicide attempts during the pandemic surprised us," said Christopher Holstege, MD, medical director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center at UVA Health and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. "We are alarmed at the dramatic increase in suicide attempts in such a young population, which continues to escalate according to our data."

The two most common substances involved in the reported suicide attempts were acetaminophen and ibuprofen, two commonly available, over-the-counter pain relievers.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04-covid-pandemic-major-children-adolescents.html

Excessive Screen Time Linked to Suicidal Behaviors in US Preteens

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Amidst the worsening teen mental health crisis and new legislation proposing to ban children under 16 from using social media, a new study finds that greater screen time among children 9-11 is associated with a higher risk of developing suicidal behaviors two years later.

The study, published in Preventive Medicine, finds that each additional hour of screen time is associated with a 9% higher risk of reporting suicidal behavior two years later. In particular, each extra hour spent watching videos, playing video games, texting, and video chatting led to a higher risk of suicidal behavior.

"Screen usage could lead to social isolation, cyberbullying, and sleep disruption, which could worsen mental health," said senior author Jason Nagata, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. "More time on screens often displaces time for in-person socializing, physical activity, and sleep."

"Screen time can have important benefits such as education and socialization, but parents should try to mitigate adverse mental health risks from excessive screen time. Parents should regularly talk to their children about screen usage and role model screen behaviors," said Nagata.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-02-excessive-screen-linked-suicidal-behaviors.html

Big Rise in U.S. Teen Girls Reporting Violence, Sadness

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

An alarming new survey shows that American teen girls are experiencing record-high levels of violence, sadness, and suicide risk.

Schools may be the answer to improving what's happening for young people, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 3 in 5 girls -- 57% -- said they felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. That's up 60%, the CDC reported, and those numbers are double the number of teen boys experiencing sadness or hopelessness.

Girls fared worse than boys across nearly all measures, though all teens reported increasing mental health challenges, experiences of violence, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 30% of teen girls seriously considered attempting suicide. About 18% experienced sexual violence in the past year, up 20% from 2017, when the CDC started monitoring this measure.

About 14% had ever been forced to have sex, up 27% since 2019.

Meanwhile, about 52% of LGBTQ students had recently experienced poor mental health and 22% had attempted suicide in the past year.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/depression-in-teen-girls-2659407498.html

Youth Engaged in Digital Self-Harm 9 to 15 Times More Likely to Attempt Suicide

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by EurekAlert!

Digital self-harm is defined as the online posting, sending, or sharing of hurtful content about oneself anonymously. Since research is clear that traditional forms of self-harm (cutting, burning, hitting oneself) are linked to suicidal ideation and attempts, it stands to reason that youth who post cruel, embarrassing, or threatening content about themselves (while their peers assume a third-party is the culprit) do so for similar dysphoric or abnormal reasons.

A new study by Florida Atlantic University, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Florida International University, is the first to empirically demonstrate an association between digital self-harm and suicidality. Findings serve as a warning sign that youth who engage in digital self-harm may also be engaging in or at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

In the United States, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10 to 19-year-olds, eclipsed only by unintentional deaths such as from an auto accident.

Results of the study, published in the journal Child and Adolescent Mental Health, showed that approximately 9 percent of adolescents reported that they had anonymously posted something online about themselves that was mean, while about 5 percent said they had anonymously cyberbullied themselves. With regard to suicidality, about 8 percent of adolescents reported that they had thought seriously about attempting suicide in the past year, while 5.3 percent said they had attempted suicide during that time period.

Most pertinent is the finding that those engaged in digital self-harm were between five and seven times more likely to have considered suicide and between nine and 15 times more likely to have attempted to end their life.

Source: EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/963212