Supporting a public health approach to suicide prevention: Recommendations for state infrastructure

Abstract

The U.S. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention calls for states to identify supportive structures that encourage efficient, effective, and sustainable suicide prevention programming at the state, territorial, tribal, and local levels (HHS & Action Alliance, 2012). To meet this objective, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) completed a literature review and environmental scan, convened an advisory panel of suicide prevention experts, and conducted interviews with suicide prevention and policy experts to identify six essential state‐level infrastructure elements: Authorize—Designate a lead organization for suicide prevention in the state and give it the resources to put a state plan into practice. Lead—Maintain a dedicated leadership and core staff positions in order to enact the plan. Create collaboration within state government. Partner—Ensure a state‐level public‐private partnership with a shared vision for suicide prevention. Examine—Encourage the collection and analysis of high‐quality suicide data. Build—Support a multifaceted lifespan approach to suicide prevention across the state. Guide—Build state and local capacity for prevention. In this commentary, we recommend a framework for organizing an emerging evidence base on the infrastructure and systems that are needed to support an effective, sustainable, public health approach to suicide prevention.

Informing Equitable Prevention Practices: A Statewide Disaggregated Analysis of Suicide for Ethnoracially Minoritized Adolescents

“…Findings from this study indicate that STB is a prevalent and pervasive issue among racialized and minoritized adolescents, which corresponds to numerous studies (Baiden et al, 2020 ; Bridge et al, 2018 ; Quinlan et al, 2021 ; Sheftall et al, 2022 ). Though the results indicate that state-level rates of STB have been trending towards zero from 1991 to 2019, there has been an increase in reported STB since 2015.…”

“…Several studies across interdisciplinary fields (e.g., education, criminal justice, mental health, etc.) advocate for the disaggregation of data to better pinpoint prevention strategies (Richardson et al, 2023 ; Morey et al, 2022 ), and this approach should be applied to suicide data (Quinlan et al, 2021 ). Additionally, it is important that all stakeholders with a modicum of interactions with youth understand the nuanced identity of a youth experiencing suicide ideation, planning, or attempting to die by suicide.…”

“…Acknowledging that suicide outcomes need to be data-driven as they vary by state, region, and demographics (US DHHS/NAASF, 2021 ), the need to examine suicide outcomes among adolescents with attention to racial and ethnic group differences is reinforced (Bridge et al, 2018 ; Lindsey et al, 2019 ). These examinations are necessary to identify differences between groups and to support more targeted prevention efforts for populations disproportionately affected by suicide outcomes (Quinlan et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Researchers have examined trends among ethnoracial (Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Multiracial) adolescent groups at a national level (Baiden et al, 2020 ; Sheftall et al, 2022 ; Ivey-Stephenson et., 2020 ); yet very few have analyzed and reported on state-level data. As states maintain an integral role in developing and implementing suicide action plans to guide more comprehensive, systematic, and integrated responses (Quinlan et al, 2021 ), the analysis of demographic data highlights adolescent risk patterns based on a myriad of identities and their intersections (Baiden et al, 2020 ; Bath & Njoroge, 2021 ; Crenshaw, 1991 ; Sheftall et al, 2022 ). Further, to support comprehensive suicide prevention strategies, efforts for inclusive and intersectionality-informed research approaches must be realized, allowing for an understanding of the unique needs of diverse identities (Bath & Njoroge, 2021 ; Bridge, 2018 ; Opara et al, 2020 ; Polanco-Roman & Miranda, 2022 ).…”