The risk of committing suicide is lower for the overarching group labeled “Asian youth” compared to non-Asian peers (9.17 deaths per 100,000 compared to 10.77 per 100,000). But researchers at Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development say lumping all Asian kids into a single group leads to missing the trees for the forest.
According to new institute research, Asian youth suicide rates differ among ethnic subgroups, including Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, and others. The new study, published in JAMA Pediatrics and led by Seattle Children’s Anthony L. Bui, MD, MPH, found, for example, that Indian and Chinese youths showed the lowest rate of suicide while Korean and Vietnamese teens showed higher rates.
Averaging data across all subgroups, says Bui, reduces the urgency around providing mental health research and services aimed at understanding and supporting Asian American youth.
Asian ethnic groups are some of the fastest-growing and diverse populations in the nation and state. Each one, Bui points out, has its own language, culture, and other social characteristics.
In Washington, Asian communities make up between 10% and 13% of the state’s population. According to the Washington State Commission Asian Pacific American Affairs, there are 48 district sub-ethnic cultures under the Asian American or Pacific Islander overall groupings.
“The stress from racism and anti-immigrant sentiment is likely a large cause of why there are higher rates of mental illness and suicide among Asian American youth,” Bui says.
This new research pushes against the singular “model minority” stereotype of Asians, especially for kids.
“That is a dangerous and harmful stereotype that continues to persist in our communities and likely has contributed to increased rates of mental illness and suicide among Asian American youth,” Bui says. “This stereotype generalizes Asians to be academically gifted, hardworking, and well-adjusted. The stereotype creates unfair and unrealistic societal pressures on Asian youth to achieve constantly, and it also results in poorer recognition of mental health conditions among Asian youth.”
Further, it places pressure on Asian youth to avoid seeking help for mental health struggles.
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