Teen Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm Deaths
Child Trend Databank
Teen Homicide, Suicide, and Firearm Death
Headline
Teen homicide, suicide, and firearm death rates have all dropped steadily from the mid-1990s through 2002, the latest year for which estimates are available. (See Figure 1)
Importance
Homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death among teens ages 15 to 19, after accidental death.1 Firearms were the instrument of death in over 80 percent of teen homicides and about half of teen suicides in 2002.2 While almost one in four youth firearm injuries results in death, nonfirearm injuries result in death in only one out of every 760 cases.3
Although many murderers of teens below age 18 are teens themselves, two-thirds are age eighteen or older.4 Gang violence has been associated with many teen murders; in 2002 nearly three-quarters of homicides were attributed to gang violence.5 While school-related homicides have received a lot of attention, in the first half of the 1999-2000 school year they accounted for less than one percent of all child homicides.6
Mood disorders such as depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorders are major risk factors for suicide among children and adolescents.7 One study found that over 90 percent of children and adolescents who committed suicide had some sort of mental disorder.8 Stressful life events and low levels of communication with parents may also be significant risk factors.9 While female teens are about twice as likely to attempt suicide, males are much more likely to actually commit suicide.10
Trends
Between 1970 and 1993, the homicide rate for teens ages 15 to 19 more than doubled from 8.1 to 20.7 per 100,000.11 The rate has declined dramatically since then to 9.3 per 100,000 in 2002. Trends in firearm-related deaths have followed the same pattern with a similarly dramatic rise and fall, declining to 12.1 per 100,000 in 2002.
The teen suicide rate increased from 5.9 to 11.1 per 100,000 between 1970 and 1994. The rate then declined to 7.4 per 100,000 in 2002.
Differences by Gender
Males ages 15 to 19 are about five times more likely than females to die from homicide and suicide, about eight times as likely to die by firearm.
Research References
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2003). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/. [Cited December 20 2004].
2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2003). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/. [Cited December 20 2004].
3Fingerhut, D. and Kaufer Christoffel, K. (2002) "Firearm-Related Death and Injury among Children and Adolescents." The Future of Children, Vol 12-Number 2. Summer/Fall 2002. Pages 25-38. http://www.futureofchildren.org/homepage2824/index.htm
4Finkerhor, D. and Ormrod, R. (2001) Homicides of Children and Youth. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. p. 4,7. http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/187239.pdf
5Ibid, p.5.
6DeVoe, J.F. Peter, K., Kaufman, P., Miller, A., Noonan, M., Snyder, T.D., and Baum, K. (2004). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2004 (NCES 2005-002/NCJ 205290). U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 7. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/iscs04.pdf
7Surgeon General. (1999) "Children and Mental Health," Chapter 3 in Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, D.C.: U.S.GPO. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/
8Shaffer, D., & Craft, L., (1999). Methods of adolescent suicide prevention. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 60 (Suppl. 2), 70-74 m
9Surgeon General. (1999) "Children and Mental Health," Chapter 3 in Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, D.C.: U.S.GPO. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/. See also National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. "Youth Suicide". http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/topics/suicide.asp
10Ibid.
11Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth 2001. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Tables HC 3.4A. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/01trends/contents.htm
12Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth 2001. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Tables HC 3.4A. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/01trends/contents.htm
Definition
Homicide, suicide, and firearm-related deaths are determined by physicians, medical examiners, and coroners reports on death certificates. Deaths are classified using ICD 10 codes. For more information on ICD 10 classification please see http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/icd10fct.pdf
Data Source
Data for Total, Male and Female 1970-1998: National Center for Health Statistics. (2002) Health United States, 2002 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. National Center for Health Statistics. 2002. Tables 46, 47, and 48. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus02.pdf
Race data from: 1970-1998: Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth 2001. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Tables HC 3.4A and 3.5. http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/01trends/contents.htm
1999 data for homicide and suicide: Anderson, R. (2001). Deaths: Leading causes for 1999 (vol 49 no 11). Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 1 and 2. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr49/nvsr49_11.pdf
1999 data for firearm related deaths: National Center for Health Statistics. (2002) Health United States, 2002 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. National Center for Health Statistics. 2002. Table 48. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus02.pdf
2000 data for homicide and suicide: Anderson, R. (2002). Deaths: Leading causes for 2000. (vol 50 no 16). Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. Tables 1 and 2. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr50/nvsr50_16.pdf
2000 data for firearm related deaths: Minino AM, Arias E, Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Smith BL. Deaths: Final Data for 2000. National vital statistics reports; vol 50 no 15 Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2002. Tables 9 and 20. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr50/nvsr50_15.pdf
2001 data for homicide and suicide: Anderson RN, Smith BL. Deaths: Leading causes for 2001. National vital statistics reports; vol 52 no 9. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 2003. Tables 1 and 2. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr52/nvsr52_09.pdf
2001 data for firearm related deaths: National Center for Health Statistics. Health United States 2003 with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. Hyattsville, Maryland: 2003: Table 47. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus03.pdf
2002 data for total and gender: National Center for Health Statistics. Health United States 2004 with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. Hyattsville, Maryland: 2004: Table 47. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm
2002 data for race: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2003). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). Available from: URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars. [Cited December 10 2004].
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