March 28, 2024

Vocal Point-Glenn Stanton

Topic: Teen Suicide and the Pandemic

Has there been an increase in teen suicide in America because of the coronavirus pandemic? Author Glenn Stanton, Director of Family Formation Studies for Focus on the Family, says the answer is not clear: “We simply do not know for sure at this point whether suicide rates increased over the last year. National U.S. data on youth suicides for 2020 have not been compiled yet, so cumulative numbers do not exist. However, even though we do not have final national data, there are reliable and research-based secondary indications that the suicide rate in 2020 may not have been markedly different than in previous years.” One thing that is clear is that stable families generally tend to see less teen suicides. Glenn Stanton wrote an article for TheFederalist, entitled, Stable Families Are Helping Protect Kids From Lockdown-Induced Depression And Suicide.The subtitle sums up the main point:All other things being equal, children from married, two-parent homes are doing better amid COVID-19 than those in other familial situations. Glenn Stanton joins Jerry Newcombe on Vocal Point to discuss these matters.

www.fotf.org