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A study by CUNY SPH alumna Abigail Lyons and faculty from the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) reveals a concerning connection between parental emotional abuse and suicide attempts among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting sexual minority youth may be at highest risk. The analysis was based on the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, a cross-sectional nationally representative of 7,705 U.S. high school students conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Lyons and co-authors Sasha Fleary, Philip Kreniske, and Chloe Teasdale found that adolescents who reported experiencing emotional abuse from a parent or caregiver were approximately three times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those who did not. Additionally, among adolescents who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning or other (LGBQ), the effect of parental emotional abuse was even more pronounced; this group of teens had nearly ten times higher odds of attempting suicide compared to their heterosexual peers who did not report experience of parental emotional abuse.
“This signals a need for targeted interventions to address parental emotional abuse and to provide support for at-risk youth, especially those identifying as sexual minorities,” says Lyons, who is currently a project manager at the ISPH.
Another key finding of the paper was the widespread report of parental emotional abuse by adolescents in the survey. More than half (55%) of respondents reported having experienced some form of emotional abuse—defined as a parent or other adult in the home swearing at, insulting, or putting them down—during the pandemic. The authors also highlight the need for more consistent monitoring and measurement of exposure to emotional abuse.
This research is particularly timely given the rising rates of adolescent suicide, which have been exacerbated by the mental health challenges posed by the pandemic. Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death among U.S. adolescents.
“Understanding and addressing parental emotional abuse is crucial to mitigating suicidality among adolescents and improving mental health outcomes for vulnerable populations,” Lyons adds.
