Childhood homicide, suicide, and firearm deaths: an international comparison.

Abstract

This article is intended to provide a better understanding of the incidence of violent deaths among children under 15 years of age in highly industrialized countries/areas. We found that rates of violent childhood deaths are not uniform in the industrialized world and that rates in the United States greatly exceed those in the other countries and areas. In fact, total firearm deaths among children are 12 times higher in the United States than in all of the other countries or areas combined; childhood homicide rates are 5 times higher; and childhood suicide rates are twice as high. Five countries or areas, 3 of which are in Asia, reported no firearm deaths among children under 15 years old. These findings suggest the value of conducting further research to explore these cross-national differences.