Upcoming Submission
Trend and association of suicidal ideation/attempt with social media use and sleep patterns among USA adolescents
Niharika Jha, PhD student, MPH1, Bikram Adhikari, MPH1, Biraj Neupane, PhD student, MPH2, Kami Geron, MA1, Michelle Jeu, MPH1, Lori Ward, PhD, MS1 and Ashish Joshi, PhD1
Affiliation
- University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
APHA Details
Program: Mental Health
Abstract: 578768 Trend and association of suicidal ideation/attempt with social media use and
sleep patterns among USA adolescents
Format: Poster
Session: Technology and social media in Public Health
Date: Monday, November 3, 2025
Time: 12:30 p.m.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10–24 globally, with suicide rates in the U.S. rising by 62% from 2007 to 2021. This study examined the trends of suicidal ideation and number of suicide attempts across before, during and after COVID-19 pandemic periods, and their association with social media use and sleep patterns among U.S. adolescents.
Methods: We analyze secondary data of 65,777 adolescents from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) collected before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes were suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, with social media use and sleep patterns as predictors. We performed weighted descriptive and presented numerical variables as mean and standard deviation, and categorical variables as weighted frequency and percent. We determined the association between outcome variable and predictor variables using chi-square test, univariable logistic regression and multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, gender, grade level, mental health status, and substance use. Results were presented as odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval (CI).
Results: The findings showed that the percentage of adolescents reporting suicidal ideation rose from 15% to 17% from 2017/19 to 2021 and then to 21% in 2023. The analysis revealed significant shifts in suicidal ideation and number of suicide attempts, with increased odds of suicidal ideation in 2021 (OR = 1.334, CI: 1.171, 1.520) compared to 2017/19, and reduced odds in 2023 (OR = 0.715, CI: 0.595, 0.859). Frequent social media use was associated with 41.0% higher odds of suicidal ideation (OR = 1.410, CI: 1.194, 1.666) and 43.3% higher odds of suicide attempts (OR = 1.433, CI: 1.168, 1.758). Sleep patterns also impacted outcomes, with participants sleeping 8 or more hours showing increased odds of suicidal ideation (OR = 1.654, CI: 1.068, 2.562), while 5 to 7 hours of sleep was linked to a reduction in suicide attempts (OR = 0.673, CI: 0.544, 0.834).
Conclusion: This study underscores the impact of social media use and sleep patterns on adolescent suicidal ideation and attempts. Findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address these factors and improve adolescent mental health.