Hidden Wounds: Exploring Racial and Gender Disparities in the Impact of Mass Shooting Events on Suicide Risk Among U.S. High School Students

Abstract

This study examines the impact of mass shooting events (MSEs) on youth suicide-related behaviors in schools, focusing on heterogeneity across age, race, and gender. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and has increased by 63% in the last two decades. Using individual-level data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS) and state-level data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) from 2013 to 2019, a difference-in-differences approach is employed to analyze the impact of MSEs on suicide consideration, suicide planning, suicide attempt, and injury from attempted suicide among high school students. Our findings indicate that MSEs lead to a significant increase in the likelihood of suicide attempts (5.1 pp) and injury from suicide (1.9 pp). We particularly observe NH-Black students show a dramatic increase in all measured behaviors, indicating a heightened vulnerability. Notable variations by race and gender suggest that targeted strategies and policies are necessary in addressing students’ suicide risk following MSEs. Our findings also reveal lagged effects, demonstrating that the behavioral impacts of MSEs persist over a year, highlighting the importance of investigating longer-term consequences. Strategies targeting the progression from suicide ideation to suicide attempts are particularly crucial to effectively mitigate the long-lasting and detrimental impact that exposure to MSEs can have on youth mental health and well-being.