The national average of youth suicide was 46.5% lower than Utah’s rate from 2016 to 2019. In the years since, the state has only seen a modest dip — what the Utah Department of Health and Human Services calls an “ongoing health crisis” in a new report.
Every year, around 32 youth die by suicide in Utah.
The new study is one of the most comprehensive Utah reports on the problem, health services officials said. Researchers didn’t just look at the statistics — they conducted in-depth interviews with the family and friends of 108 young Utahns who died by suicide.
Most of those individuals, they found, had relationships and people they liked spending time with, but only 39% felt like they belonged in their community.
“Feeling like we have a meaningful connection to the people around us is the strongest protective factor,” said Michael Staley, suicide prevention coordinator at the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner. “When we're connected to each other as human beings, we can weather some really difficult storms.”
Utahns should find ways to foster connection in their communities and to give youth purpose and connection, Staley asked, especially for those who aren’t involved already. That could look like creating opportunities for young people to contribute to their schools or groups, inviting them to join a city advisory group or connecting with local mentors or neighbors.
It’s also important to talk openly about mental health so that young people see it’s OK to share their feelings.
Alongside the study, DHHS has put together recommendations for families and community members, clinicians and educators.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking about self-harm or suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ciara Hulet: How hard was it to interview the family and friends of Utah youth who died by suicide?
Michael Staley: That was a difficult conversation to have, but an important one. People who lost someone to suicide had not often talked about the person they lost in this way ever. We talked to family and friends who said, “I haven't talked about my son or my daughter since they died by suicide, not at this length.” Some friends had said, “I haven't really even said his name since he passed away.” And so this also provided an opportunity for lost survivors to tell their story, and that was really important to us.
CH: What surprised you the most in those interviews?
MS: It is so completely apparent when you begin these conversations how much these young people were loved, and you know, I wish that they would have known how deeply they were loved as well. One of the things that really jumped out in terms of our research findings is the proportion of these youth who experienced childhood maltreatment — things like physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse. Fifteen percent of these youth experienced all three kinds of abuse, and two-thirds of these youth experienced some form of generalized trauma, like losing someone close in their household. So there is a lot going on in these young people's lives.
And you know, sometimes parents knew about this. Often they knew about this, and they were trying to get their child the help. Sometimes trying to find the right help and not quite finding it. And so that tells us that going forward, we have got to do a better job of assessing for childhood trauma. And when we find it, we have to do a better job of treating it and giving parents and families those tools that they need to address childhood trauma.
CH: What are some examples of childhood trauma?
MS: Almost three in four experience some kind of emotional abuse. And emotional abuse can be kind of nebulous, but this is something like being constantly criticized or even neglected. This is something, you know, you're not feeling that you have purpose or a place sometimes in your community and in your family even.
CH: What's the most impactful, preventative thing parents can do for their children?
MS: We talk a lot about warning signs of suicide, and most of these youth exhibited at least one warning sign. Not all of them, but most of them. Some of them exhibited many signs of suicide, and for the most part, parents recognized maybe not that what was happening was a sign of suicide, but they did recognize that something was changing, something was different.
And so, if I can have parents just do one thing to prevent youth suicide, it's investigate change. If you notice that your child is hanging out with different friends or not hanging out with friends at all, or maybe even something as seemingly harmless as changing the music they listen to. Ask them about it. Not only are you providing them an opportunity to tell you that something is wrong, but you're also, by asking that question, saying that you notice that something is changing, and that's an expression of care and love.
CH: Breakups with romantic partners stood out in your report results. Is that something that parents can watch out for?
MS: Yeah, we were a little bit taken aback by the proportion of youth who were in a romantic relationship. Of those youth that were in romantic relationships, two-thirds of those relationships were on the rocks, or they had just recently broken up.
And look, we've been – as a society – breaking up as teenagers and as adults for a very long time, and so it led us to ask and think about what's changed. And what we kind of narrowed down to when we were talking, especially to friends, is that when youth were getting in these romantic relationships, they kind of were separating themselves from their friend groups and sometimes even their families. And so the focus of their attention and time really came to this romantic partner. And when that relationship ended, suddenly their system of support — the people that are going to go get ice cream with them or go for a walk or a hike with them — isn't there anymore.
So if we can talk about what a healthy relationship looks like for these youth, and say, you know, “it's great that you're hanging out with your boyfriend or your girlfriend, but you also should hang out with your friends still, maybe all together, and also with your family.” Make sure those relationships stay strong, because if that relationship breaks up — and teen relationships often do — there's that protection there for that really difficult first heartbreak.
CH: What's one of the top preventative things educators can do?
MS: We learned that a lot of these youth — over 80% of them — were close to a teacher, a school administrator, a coach, sometimes even custodial staff, bus drivers. And over time, what we heard is that those relationships kind of went away. So we know that, and I know that educators probably realized that those relationships with those kids were changing. And look, educators have a lot coming at them very quickly, and so we put a lot on their plates. But when those relationships are changing, again, to seek that student out and ask how they're doing, and say, "I noticed you haven't come by in a little while. What's going on? What's new with you?”
Educators spend a lot of time with youth, and they see them in their peer groups in ways that parents and families don't. And so I would say that they have a unique perspective to offer.
And also we need to make sure that the school suicide prevention and crisis resources are robust. Make sure that educators are talking about and normalizing resources like SafeUT and 988, so that when it comes time to use them, no one thinks twice about having the app on their phone or dialing that number.
