Suicide Rates Among Asian American Youth Rose Sharply Over 25 Years, With Larger Increase Among Women

Suicide rates among Asian American men increased 72 percent and among women 125 percent over the past 25 years, a study of youth and young adults found. Anthony Bui, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, examined data for Asian American youth aged 15 to 19 and young adults aged 20 to 24 between 2018 and 2022. The report was released earlier this week in JAMA Pediatrics.

Vietnamese American youth had a suicide rate of 10.57 per 100,000, while Indian American youth had the lowest rate in the study at 6.91 per 100,000. Smaller minority populations including Pakistani, Cambodian, Japanese and Thai Americans together recorded a youth suicide rate of 13.37 per 100,000, the highest figure reported.

Bui noted that aggregating all Asian American groups masks these differences.

“Southeast Asian communities have a lot of history with migration and trauma over the last five decades,” Bui said. ” He added that xenophobia and anti-Asian hate over the last decade, along with societal pressure to succeed, have contributed to worse mental health outcomes. Bui also pointed to increased firearm purchases by some families during the Covid period.

“I think some of these families might feel more safe having a firearm,” he said. ” Bui called for language-specific and culturally competent mental health resources to address the disparities.