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  7. Data Sources and Strategies for Suicide Prevention Among DAPs

Data Sources and Strategies for Suicide Prevention Among Disproportionately Affected Populations

A comprehensive approach to suicide prevention requires access to high-quality data for monitoring suicide, nonfatal suicide-related outcomes, and, importantly, the risk and protective factors associated with these outcomes. High-quality data is also crucial for identifying suicide-related inequities and prevention strategies. When health agencies use data to drive decision-making, they can create more equitable and impactful programs to prevent suicide and suicidal behavior.

Target Groups

While anyone can experience suicide risk, certain demographics have higher rates of suicide or suicide attempts than the general U.S. population, known as disproportionately affected populations (DAPs). Public health professionals and partners can use this resource to identify data sources, measures, and relevant strategies and approaches for suicide prevention among DAPs.

Some DAPs may experience more negative conditions or factors related to suicide such as economic hardship (e.g., job loss or financial problems), limited affordable housing, criminal or legal problems, ACEs such as child abuse and neglect, violence victimization and/or perpetration, relationship problems, feeling a lack of connectedness to others, bullying, racism and discrimination, easy access to lethal means among people at risk, and barriers to access physical and mental healthcare.

Data Source Criteria and Examples

For a DAP to be connected to a data source in this resource, the data source must collect demographic information or must have specific measures for the population. For example, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability information. BRFSS also has ACEs-related measures including the percentage of adults with one ACE as well as those with four or more ACEs.

Sources that collect crime data such as the FBI Crime Data Explorer, the Gun Violence Archive, and the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement are included in this resource because involvement in the justice system as well as prior interpersonal violence victimization or perpetration are circumstances that increase suicide risk. If a DAP is connected to one of these data sources in this resource, it does not mean that the population is more likely to commit or be a victim of crime; it means that the data source collects demographic information or has specific measures for the population such as the number of offenses, deaths, and injuries.

Guiding Principles and Data Sources

The relevant suicide prevention strategies and approaches listed come from CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action, where more details are provided, including the evidence for each. They serve as general suggestions and may be modified for different situations and populations. Suicide prevention efforts are more likely to be effective if they are based on the values, needs, and strengths of the targeted groups. Effective solutions should come from the expertise and lived experience of these groups and also be respectful and responsive to their beliefs, practices, and cultural and linguistic needs and preferences.

This resource includes information on both primary and secondary data sources. A primary data source contains original data collected firsthand for a specific research purpose or project. Primary data collection for public health most often uses self-administered surveys and telephone-based interviews. Secondary data sources include data obtained from administrative or government records or data assembled by someone who is not the original researcher. The sources are available through databases (e.g., County Health Rankings, National Environmental Health Tracking System, K-12 School Shooting Database) and reports from services (e.g., National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System). See the Suicide Indicator Explorer Guide for more information about each data source.

People with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National School Climate Survey
  • National Survey of Children’s Health
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement
  • Child Opportunity Index
  • Child Welfare Outcomes
  • City Health Dashboard
  • Civil Rights Data Collection
  • County Health Rankings
  • FBI Crime Data Explorer
  • Gun Violence Archive
  • Local Area Unemployment

Strategies and Approaches

  • Strengthen economic supports by:
    • Improving household financial security
    • o Stabilizing housing
  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
    • Reducing substance use through community-based policies and practices
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Supporting social-emotional learning programs
    • Teaching parenting skills to improve family relationships
    • Supporting resilience through education programs
  • Lessen harms and prevent future risk by:
    • Intervening after a suicide (postvention)
    • Reporting and messaging about suicide safely

American Indian and Alaska Native Populations

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National School Climate Survey
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement
  • Child Opportunity Index
  • Child Welfare Outcomes
  • Civil Rights Data Collection
  • County Health Rankings
  • FBI Crime Data Explorer
  • National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
  • National Environmental Health Tracking System
  • National Equity Atlas
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • State Emergency Department Databases
  • USDA Food Environment Atlas

Strategies and Approaches

  • Strengthen economic supports by:
    • Improving household financial security
    • Stabilizing housing
  • Create protective environments by:
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Improve access and delivery of suicide care by:
    • Increasing provider availability in underserved areas
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
    • Engaging community members in shared activities
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Supporting social-emotional learning programs
    • Teaching parenting skills to improve family relationships

People Bereaved by Suicide

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • National Violent Death Reporting System

Strategies and Approaches

  • Lesson harms and prevent future risk by:
    • Intervening after a suicide (postvention)
    • Reporting and messaging about suicide safely

People Involved in the Criminal Legal System

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National Survey of Children’s Health
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Secondary Data Sources

  • Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement
  • Civil Rights Data Collection
  • FBI Crime Data Explorer
  • Gun Violence Archive
  • K-12 School Shooting Database
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security

Strategies and Approaches

  • Strengthen economic supports by:
    • Improving household financial security
    • Stabilizing housing
  • Create protective environments by:
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
    • Reducing substance use through community-based policies and practices
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Teaching parenting skills to improve family relationships
    • Supporting resilience through education programs

People with Disabilities/a Disability

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National School Climate Survey
  • National Survey of Children’s Health

Secondary Data Sources

  • Child Welfare Outcomes
  • Civil Rights Data Collection
  • FBI Crime Data Explorer
  • National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
  • National Environmental Health Tracking System
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security

Strategies and Approaches

  • Strengthen economic supports by:
    • Improving household financial security
    • Stabilizing housing
  • Create protective environments by:
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
    • Engaging community members in shared activities
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Supporting resilience through education programs

People Experiencing Homelessness

Secondary Data Sources

  • National Violent Death Reporting System

Strategies and Approaches

  • Strengthen economic supports by:
    • Improving household financial security
    • Stabilizing housing

People Working in Certain Industries and Occupations

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • National Violent Death Reporting System

Strategies and Approaches

  • Strengthen economic supports by:
    • Improving household financial security
  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms

People Who Identify as LGBTQ+

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National School Climate Survey
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • FBI Crime Data Explorer
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Supporting social-emotional learning programs
    • Teaching parenting skills to improve family relationships
    • Supporting resilience through education programs

Those With Serious Illness

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National Survey of Children’s Health

Secondary Data Sources

  • Child Welfare Outcomes
  • County Health Rankings
  • National Environmental Health Tracking System
  • National Violent Death Reporting System

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Supporting resilience through education programs

People With Mental Health Conditions

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National Survey of Children’s Health
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Health Treatment Locator
  • Child Welfare Outcomes
  • County Health Rankings
  • K-12 School Shooting Database
  • Mental Health America State of Mental Health in America
  • National Environmental Health Tracking System
  • National Violent Death Reporting System

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Improve access and delivery of suicide care by:
    • Covering mental health conditions in health insurance policies
    • Increasing provider availability in underserved areas
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Supporting resilience through education programs

Middle-Aged White Men

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Secondary Data Sources

  • FBI Crime Data Explorer
  • National Equity Atlas
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • State Emergency Department Databases
  • USDA Food Environment Atlas

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
    • Engaging community members in shared activities
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Supporting resilience through education programs

People With Self-Harm Behavior

Secondary Data Sources

  • State Emergency Department Databases

Strategies and Approaches

  • Identify and support people at risk by:
    • Training gatekeepers
    • Providing therapeutic approaches

Older Men

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Secondary Data Sources

  • FBI Crime Data Explorer
  • National Equity Atlas
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • State Emergency Department Databases
  • USDA Food Environment Atlas

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
    • Engaging community members in shared activities

People With a Prior Suicide Attempt

Primary Data Sources

  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • K-12 School Shooting Database
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • State Emergency Department Databases

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
  • Improve access and delivery of suicide care by:
    • Creating safer suicide care through systems change
  • Identify and support people at risk by:
    • Planning for safety and follow-up after an attempt
    • Providing therapeutic approaches

Those Living in Rural Areas

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Health Treatment Locator
  • Child Opportunity Index
  • Child Welfare Outcomes
  • Civil Rights Data Collection
  • County Health Rankings
  • FBI Crime Data Explorer
  • Gun Violence Archive
  • Health Resources and Services Administration
  • K-12 School Shooting Database
  • Local Area Unemployment Statistics
  • National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
  • National Environmental Health Tracking System
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security
  • Social Vulnerability Index
  • State Emergency Department Databases
  • USDA Food Environment Atlas

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
  • Improve access and delivery of suicide care by:
    • Increasing provider availability in underserved areas
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
    • Engaging community members in shared activities

People With Substance Use Disorder

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National Survey of Children’s Health
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Health Treatment Locator
  • County Health Rankings
  • Mental Health America State of Mental Health in America
  • National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
  • National Violent Death Reporting System
  • Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
    • Reducing substance use through community-based policies and practices
  • Improve access and delivery of suicide care by:
    • Covering mental health conditions in health insurance policies
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
  • Teach coping and problem-solving skills by:
    • Supporting resilience through education programs

People Experiencing Suicidal Ideation

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health
  • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Secondary Data Sources

  • Mental Health America State of Mental Health in America
  • State Emergency Department Databases

Strategies and Approaches

  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Improve access and delivery of suicide care by:
    • Increasing provider availability in underserved areas
    • Providing rapid and remote access to help
    • Creating safer suicide care through systems change
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
  • Identify and support people at risk by:
    • Training gatekeepers
    • Responding to crisis
    • Providing therapeutic approaches

Veterans

Primary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
  • National Survey of Children’s Health
  • National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Secondary Data Sources

  • Behavioral Health Treatment Locator
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
  • National Violent Death Reporting System

Strategies and Approaches

  • Strengthen economic supports by:
    • Stabilizing housing
  • Create protective environments by:
    • Reducing access to lethal means among persons at risk of suicide
    • Creating healthy organizational policies and culture
  • Promote healthy connections by:
    • Promoting healthy peer norms
    • Engaging community members in shared activities