Trends in suicidal behavior among hospitalized adolescents in Spain over two decades

Abstract

Background: Suicide ranks as a leading cause of premature death among adolescents globally. Understanding the trends and key determinants of suicidal behavior in youth are critical for implementing educational policies and supporting preventive strategies in schools.

Methods: This retrospective study examined all hospitalizations due to suicidal behavior in children and adolescents aged 11 to 18 years in Spain, using data from the Spanish National Registry of Hospital Discharges spanning 2000 to 2021.

Results: Over the 22-year study period, there were 2,015,589 hospitalizations among adolescents in Spain, with 118,609 (5.9 %) cases involving mental disorders. There were 2855 admissions with suicidal behavior, constituting 2.4 % of the hospitalizations among youth with mental disorders. Girls represented 73.4 % of all hospitalizations, with a median age of 16 years. Admissions for suicidal behavior saw a four-fold increase during the last decade (p < 0.001). The in-hospital mortality rate for adolescents with suicidal behavior doubled that of those hospitalized for other mental disorders. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, admissions of adolescents with suicidal behavior decreased, only to surge by 2.5-fold during 2021.

Conclusion: Hospital admissions for suicidal behavior among adolescents have risen in Spain over the last two decades. Girls represented 73.4 % of these admissions, yet in-hospital mortality was more frequent in boys.

Keywords: Adolescents; Depression; Mental disorders; Psychiatric disorders; Suicide.