Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Vidal, Wilcox, Hammond, Campo), and Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics (Ngo, Ryan), School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (Wilcox); Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (O'Donnell).
Psychiatr Serv. 2023 Mar 1;74(3):312-315. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202100608. Epub 2022 Sep 27.
Suicide rates and frequency of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for suicidal thoughts and behaviors have increased among Black preadolescents in the United States in recent years. This study examined whether characteristics of ED visits and treatment management of preadolescents with suicidal thoughts and behaviors differed by race.
An electronic medical record query identified patients ages 8-12 (N=504) who visited a pediatric ED with a psychiatric-related chief complaint in 2019. The authors examined suicidal thoughts and behaviors that were reported with the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions tool, ED clinical impression, and ED disposition overall and by race.
Compared with other racial groups, Black preadolescents were less likely to report suicidal thoughts, despite equivalent lifetime histories of suicide attempts, and were more likely to be brought to the ED by police and discharged (instead of being admitted to inpatient psychiatric care).
Research to better understand racial disparities in suicide risk among preadolescents can inform prevention efforts.
近年来，美国黑人青少年的自杀率和因自杀意念和行为前往儿科急诊部（ED）就诊的频率有所上升。本研究旨在探讨有自杀意念和行为的青少年在 ED 就诊的特征和治疗管理是否因种族而异。
通过电子病历查询，确定了 2019 年在儿科 ED 以精神相关主诉就诊的年龄为 8-12 岁的患者（N=504）。作者使用自杀筛查问卷工具、ED 临床印象和 ED 总体处置情况以及按种族检查了报告的自杀意念和行为。
与其他种族群体相比，黑人青少年报告自杀意念的可能性较小，尽管他们有同等的自杀企图的终身病史，而且更有可能被警察带到 ED 并出院（而不是被收治到住院精神科病房）。
研究更好地了解青少年自杀风险中的种族差异，可以为预防工作提供信息。
