Hidden Suicide Risks Among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Youth

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA+NHPI) adolescents, and research on the mechanisms that elevate suicide risks for different AA+NHPI subgroups is critical.

A 2024 study led by Dr. Camillia Lui, a scientist from PHI’s Alcohol Research Group, examined nine distinct Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA+NHPI) subgroups and revealed significant differences in suicidal ideation risk. Study results will inform priorities for universal strategies that reduce suicide risks for AA+NHPI adolescents as an aggregate population and selective strategies for specific high-risk AA+NHPI adolescent subgroups.

The study, “Unmasking Suicide Ideation among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Adolescents through Data Disaggregation” was published in JAMA Network Open and revealed the following key findings:

Key Findings

Of the almost 78,000 adolescents surveyed, 17.5% reported suicidal ideation when AA and NHPI youth were grouped together. However, when analyzing groups separately, findings showed:

• 27.3% of adolescents with multiple racial identities reported experiencing suicidal ideation, compared to 3% of NHPI adolescents with a single racial identity
• Among AA subgroups, suicidal ideation varied significantly across ethnic groups, with 21.8% of Filipino adolescents reporting suicidal ideation, compared to 13.6% of Asian Indian adolescents
• Adolescents with multiethnic and multiracial identities faced a higher risk of suicidal ideation across all groups, with rates increasing by two percentage points among Filipino adolescents (from 21.2% for single-ethnicity to 23.5% for multiracial) and by nine percentage points among Chinese adolescents (from 13.7% for single-ethnicity to 23.1% for multiracial)

In collaboration with and as a result of this research, Dr. Lui has presented at numerous local and national platforms leading to meaningful partnerships and additional funding for youth mental health research. Findings from the study have also helped to inform improvements in data collection of AA+NHPI groups in the California Healthy Kids Survey and have been shared with decision-makers to raise the spotlight on the suicide prevention needs for AA+NHPI groups.