Deaths by Suicide Increased Among College Athletes From 2002 to 2022

FRIDAY, April 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) — From 2002 to 2022, there was an increase in deaths by suicide among National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes, according to a study published online April 4 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Bridget M. Whelan, M.P.H., from the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues examined the incidence rate of suicide from 2002 to 2022 among athletes from the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The researchers identified 1,102 total deaths, of which 128 (11.6 percent) were suicides (98 in men; 30 in women). The overall incidence was one in 71,145 athlete-years (AYs). After accidents, suicide was the second most common cause of death. From the first to the second 10-year period, the proportion of deaths by suicide doubled from 7.6 to 15.3 percent. For men, the suicide incidence rate increased linearly (five-year incidence rate ratio, 1.32), while a quadratic association was seen among women, with the lowest incidence rate in 2010 to 2011, followed by an increase. The highest suicide incidence rate was seen for male cross-country athletes (one in 29,815 AYs); the suicide incidence rate was higher for Division I and II athletes than Division III athletes. Suicide incidence rates did not differ significantly by sex, race, or sport.

“Additional mental health resources including efforts to raise awareness, screening for early risk identification, training coaches and support staff on how to identify athletes at risk and providing access to mental health providers trained in sport psychology are examples of ways to help prevent suicide in this population,” the authors write.

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