Youth Suicide Trends in California: An Examination of Immigrant and Ethnic Group Risk

Abstract

Although immigrants are in better health than the U.S.‐born population according to a variety of indicators, little research has investigated current foreign‐born/U.S.‐born differentials in suicide. A review of 32,928 California death certificates from 1970 to 1992 indicates that although foreign‐born persons are consistently underrepresented in the suicide deaths of 15‐ to 34‐year‐olds (risk ratio = 0.60), any foreign‐ versus U.S.‐born difference by ethnicity appears to be decreasing. Specifically, although Hispanics born outside the United States consistently are at significantly lower risk of suicide than U.S.‐born Hispanics, the discrepancy between the two groups has diminished over time. And, in a comparable trend, non‐Hispanic white persons born outside the United States were at higher risk of suicide than their U.S.‐born counterparts until 1990, when their risk became similar. Black and Asian/other foreign‐ and U.S.‐born persons have been at statistically similar risk since 1970. A man using a firearm at home was the typical pattern for both the foreign‐ and U.S.‐born.