Study: Pre-teen Children of Arrested/incarcerated Parents at Risk for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for pre-adolescents, according to CDC data, and there was an almost three-fold rise in suicide deaths for children ages 10-14 from 2007 to 2017. A new study in the June 2024 Pediatrics (published online May 24), “Parental Legal System Involvement, Positive Childhood Experiences, and Suicide Risk,” finds that pre-teens with parents who have been arrested and/or incarcerated have higher risk for of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their peers without parents involved in the legal system. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—defined as exposure to distressing circumstances such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction before age 18—are a known risk factor for suicide among children, and parental incarceration can be considered an ACE. Researchers examined data on 10,532 children, ages 11 and 12, from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study and found 687 children (6.5%) reported parent incarceration and 1,264 (12.0%) reported parent arrest. Black youth more frequently experienced parental arrest or incarceration than children of other racial groups. Those with arrested or incarcerated parents had higher risk for suicidal ideation and attempts. They also found that positive childhood experiences were associated with reduced risk for suicidal ideation. Authors concluded that parental legal system involvement negatively affects child mental health and suggest the need for judicial reforms, wide screening efforts for youth suicide risk, and interventions to promote positive childhood experiences to youth affected by parental legal involvement.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.