Purpose
The present research leveraged a nationally representative dataset to examine between-group differences in adolescent suicide consideration and attempts by weight status and perceived closeness to others.
Findings
Adolescents with overweight and obesity were more likely to report past year suicide consideration (1.54x and 1.43x as likely) and attempts (1.74x and 1.59x as likely) compared to adolescents with healthy weight. A significantly smaller proportion of adolescents with obesity endorsed closeness to others at school compared to adolescents with healthy weight. Adolescents who felt close to others were less likely to report either suicidal ideation or attempts, regardless of weight status. Compared to the healthy weight group, significantly higher proportions of adolescents with overweight or obesity endorsed attempting suicide, both among adolescents who felt close to others, X
2
(2) = 14.76, p = .001, n = 4773, and those who did not, X
2
(2) = 18.58, p < .001, n = 2859.
Conclusions
Adolescents with overweight and obesity were more likely to consider and attempt suicide relative to those with healthy weight, regardless of perceived closeness to others. Perceived closeness was associated with lower likelihood of suicide consideration and attempts among all weight groups. Further investigation may clarify the prospective utility of social closeness for adolescent suicide risk reduction, especially among those with overweight/obesity.
Plain Language Summary
Why was this study done? Suicide remains a leading cause of death for teens in the United States, and more information is needed about what might relate to increased risk. There are conflicting findings as to whether higher weight status (i.e., overweight, obese weight) relates to increased suicide consideration and attempts. There is also evidence suggesting that social closeness relates to reduced risk, and it is unclear how closeness and weight status might both relate to suicide risk. It is important to understand what factors might relate to suicide risk to best inform the creation and implementation of teen suicide prevention programs. What did the researchers do? This study explored how weight group and perceived closeness to others at school related to the likelihood of considering or attempting suicide in a nationally representative sample of United States teens surveyed in 2021. Specifically, we looked at differences between groups to understand whether teen weight status and perceived closeness were related to the likelihood of having considered or attempted suicide in the past year. What did the researchers find? Findings indicate that adolescents with overweight and obesity in the present sample were more likely to have considered or attempted suicide compared to those with healthy weight, regardless of whether they felt close to others at school. However, perceived closeness related to lower likelihood for suicide consideration and attempts across all weight groups in this sample compared to those who did not feel close to others. This study emphasizes the potential importance of considering weight status and social closeness when designing and implementing programming for suicide risk reduction. It also suggests that relationships among weight status, social closeness, and suicide are complicated and need continued exploration to understand how these relationships might be important for clinical applications.
