Promoting and protecting youth mental health towards 0 suicides.
A person dies by suicide every 40 seconds globally, and every 11 minutes in the United States.
Suicide is a significant and increasing public health concern with substantial impacts on families and communities, across all age groups. Suicide is a leading cause of premature death for adolescents. We have a youth mental health crisis in the U.S.
Suicidal thoughts (also known as suicide ideation) and behaviors (such as suicide attempts), and suicide are influenced by many social and environmental conditions and factors in places where young people are born, live, play, grow and age. These conditions, known as social determinants of health provide the foundation of our work in suicide prevention. In pursuit of social justice and health equity, we focus on social structures that compound disadvantages for young people experiencing social conditions and policies that negatively affect young people's mental health. These may include racism, religious discrimination, sexism, heterosexism, xenophobia, cisgenderism etc.
Our youth focused work is responsive to the 10-year federal National Strategy for Suicide Prevention plan 2024-2034. We specifically focus on health equity in suicide prevention, community-based strategies in suicide prevention and promoting rigorous research through good quality data.
Current projects
Understanding the Experience of Suicide Risks among Black Adolescents: A qualitative Inquiry
Funding: American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP): SRG-0-007-23
Project Date: November 2024 - 2026
Centering the Margins; Addressing Suicide Risks among Ethno-Racial Minority Adolescents
Funding: Health Resources & Services Administration (MCHB): R4245811
Project Date: August 2022 – September 2024
- Jewett PI, Taliaferro LA, Borowsky IW, Mathiason MA, Areba EM. Structural adverse childhood experiences associated with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and repetitive non-suicidal self-injury among racially and ethnically minoritized youth. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 2024; 00, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.13084

Hidden in plain sight
The effect of adversity on suicidal thoughts and behaviors among ethnoracially minoritized youth.
Meet the Team

Eunice Areba, RN, PhD
Principal Investigator
Clinical Associate Professor

Iris Borowsky, MD, PhD
Professor, Division Director
Fellowship Program Director
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health
Faculty, Department of Pediatrics

Patricia Jewett, PhD
Assistant Professor
Division of Environmental Health Sciences
School of Public Health

Michelle A. Mathiason Moore, MS
Statistician, School of Nursing

Lindsay Taliaferro, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S.
Associate Professor of Medicine
College of Medicine
University of Central Florida