美国国家公共电台 NPR Suicide Rate For Girls Has Been Rising Faster Than For Boys, Study Finds

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Deaths by suicide in the United States have been rising, and that includes among young people. A new study shows that the rate of suicide among teenage girls has been rising faster than boys. NPR's Rhitu Chatterjee reports.

RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE¹: Suicide is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, and boys are more likely to die by suicide than girls. But the new study finds that girls are catching² up quickly.

DONNA RUCH: We saw a significant, disproportionate increase in female suicide rate.

CHATTERJEE: Donna Ruch is a researcher at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. She says the increase was highest for girls aged³ 10 to 14, rising by nearly 13% since 2007, while for boys, it only rose by 7%.

RUCH: That's where we saw the most significant narrowing of this gender⁴ gap, if you will.

CHATTERJEE: No one knows what's driving the trend, and it's likely to be a mix of factors, says Christine Moutier, the chief medical officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. But she says social media could be playing an important role.

CHRISTINE MOUTIER: Social media really cannot be ignored any longer.

CHATTERJEE: That's because, she says, the vast majority of children and adolescents are spending a lot of time plugged into their devices. And while social media can make them feel more connected to people in their lives, Moutier says studies show that it can also hurt their mental health.

MOUTIER: Heavy screen time, nighttime utilization⁵ that can disrupt sleep - people who have anxiety, depression or psychological vulnerabilities may have a more negative experience.

CHATTERJEE: And recent studies show that girls are more sensitive to the negative effects of social media, says Joan Luby. She's a psychiatrist⁶ at Washington University School of Medicine and wrote a commentary accompanying the new study, which was published in this week's JAMA Network Open.

JOAN LUBY: Girls are, more often than boys, cyberbullied on social media; that they tend to have much more negative psychological effects of that cyberbullying.

CHATTERJEE: They tend to get more depressed⁷ as a result. Luby says another reason why social media matters, not just for girls but for all children and adolescents, is that it has changed how kids interact with one another.

LUBY: They are now interacting through devices, and they're not having live in-person interaction.

CHATTERJEE: In-person interactions and social support, she says, are crucial protective factors against mental health issues, including suicide. Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR News.

CORNISH: And if you or someone you know may be considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 utilization   

n.利用，效用

参考例句：

• Computer has found an increasingly wide utilization in all fields.电子计算机已越来越广泛地在各个领域得到应用。
• Modern forms of agricultural utilization,have completely refuted this assumption.现代农业利用形式，完全驳倒了这种想象。

6 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

7 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。