Emergency Department visits by youth for self-inflicted firearm injuries were three times more common in rural areas compared to urban ones, a national study has found.
The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that Emergency Department (ED) visits by youth for self-harm were nearly 40 percent higher in rural areas compared to urban settings. Youth from rural areas presenting to the ED for suicidal ideation or self-harm also were more likely to need to be transferred to another hospital for care, which underscores the insufficient mental health resources in rural hospitals.
“Our study used pre-pandemic data, and we know that increased attention to youth mental health is even more pressing now everywhere, but especially in rural settings to prevent self-harm in youth,” said lead author Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, pediatric emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We need universal screening for suicidal ideation for all children and adolescents age 10 and up who present in the ED to identify youth at risk and intervene before tragedy occurs.”
The study drew on national data on suicidal ideation or self-harm in youth (ages 5-19 years) from a sample of EDs across the country, including those in general hospitals and children’s hospitals. The researchers extrapolated the results to arrive at national estimates.
Dr Hoffmann explained that a number of factors contribute to higher suicide rates and self-harm in rural youth. One of these is access to mental healthcare, which she said is a huge challenge. A lack of paediatric mental health professionals in rural areas is another factor, forcing patients to travel long distances for help. In addition, poor insurance coverage resulting from lower family income and unemployment. Small towns also have anonymity concerns, possibly delaying seeking care until a crisis brings the child to the ED. Firearm ownership is higher in rural firearms, so increased access to firearms may account for the high degree of disparity in self-inflicted firearm injuries.
“We need to improve mental health training for ED providers, allocate more resources and implement policies in rural hospitals on managing young patients who present with suicidal ideation or self-harm,” said Dr Hoffmann. “More widespread use of tele-psychiatry also might help prevent unnecessary transfers to other hospitals. But even more importantly, we need to train primary care providers to help diagnose and treat mental health issues earlier, so we can prevent self-inflicted injuries and death.”
Source: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
