Suicidal Thoughts and Attempts Among American Indian and Alaska Native Adults in California

Alex J. Bates, PhD, MD, MPH, Susan H. Babey, PhD, Nicamer Tolentino, MPH, Antoinette Medina

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Fact Sheet Press Release

Graphic with AIAN access to healthcare, adverse childhood experiences, and suicide publication covers

Highlights

Overall, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) adults in California had attempted suicide in their lifetime at nearly double the rate of all California adults.

About 1 in 4 (24%) AIAN adults in California have seriously thought about dying by suicide, with more than 1 in 3 (37%) of AIAN adults with serious thoughts having attempted suicide at some point.

Summary

Published Date: August 27, 2026

Using combined data from the 2020–2024 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), authors of this fact sheet examined the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and attempts among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) adults in California and found that those rates were higher when compared with all California adults.

This study helps fill a crucial gap in representative data on suicidal thoughts and behaviors among AIAN adults in California.

Findings:

About 1 in 11 AIAN adults (9%) in California had attempted suicide in their lifetime, nearly double the percentage for all adults (5%).
About 1 in 4 AIAN adults (24%) in California had ever seriously thought about suicide, significantly higher than California adults overall (18%).
Among AIAN adults in California who reported having had suicidal thoughts, more than 1 in 3 had ever attempted suicide (37%), a rate significantly higher than that for all adults in the state who reported ever having had suicidal thoughts (30%).