Suicidal Behaviors among Youths in Mississippi, United States

Suicidal behaviors play a major role in suicidal deaths among adolescents in the United States. This study examines the prevalence of suicidal behaviors among youths in Mississippi by age, race/ethnicity, grade, and gender. Data were analyzed from the Mississippi Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 2019. The survey employed a representative sample of students in grades 9 – 12. The prevalence of suicidal behaviors among participants was adjusted for gender, age, race, and grade reference data from the CDC growth chart. Differences in the groups were examined with univariate t-test statistical analysis at pvalue<0.05 and frequency distribution to determine the percentage differences. Female youths had higher prevalence rates of seriously considering suicide (23.2%) and making a plan to attempt suicide (14.1%) when compared to the male participants with prevalence rates of 14.1% and 12.1% respectively. Black female youths (16.2%) had higher rates of attempting suicide than the black male youths (13.0%). However, male youths (4.0%) had a higher rate of “suicide attempt with an injury that requires medical treatment" when compared to females (3.4%); with the black male youths (13.0%) having higher rates than the white male youths (7.8%). Participants in 12th grade had higher rates of suicide attempts when compared to other grades. There is a concerning increased risk of suicidal behaviors especially among male youths and black youths in Mississippi. Prevention and intervention programs should target these groups in other to reduce these suicidal behavioral risks.