Suicides Among Non-Elderly Adult Hispanics, 2010–2020

Abstract

Most research on suicides focuses on youth or the elderly and dominant groups of a population. The purpose of this study was to assess suicide trends for non-elderly adult Hispanics (age 20–64 years) over the past decade (2010–2020). Data from the Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) were analyzed for the study period. Suicides for Hispanics in 2010 were the 7th leading cause of death and became the 5th leading cause of death by 2020. During the decade of analyses, suicide rates increased 35.7% for males and 40.6% for females. Non-elderly Hispanic males were most likely to die by hanging/suffocation (2010 = 42%, 2020 = 41%), or firearms (2010 = 39%, 2020 = 42%). Whereas, Hispanic adult females were most likely to use hanging/suffocation (2010 = 36%, 2020 = 43%) or poisoning (2010 = 27%, 2020 = 19%) for completed suicides. In 2020, the top three states for non-elderly Hispanic adult suicides (per 100,000 population) were Colorado (25.52), New Mexico (23.99), and Utah (21.73). The Hispanic population continues to grow, but also faces chronicity of prejudice, underemployment, lack of healthcare access, multiple stressors, and rising levels of suicide. The reduction of adult Hispanic suicides would require additional resources, interventions, and research to understand prevention and risk factors.