OVERLAYING DATA

The metrics of well-being that indicate success or challenges in communities across the county are interconnected and cannot be separated in the experience of children and families. Since none of the conditions measured in this report occur in isolation, each year the Conditions of Children report examines the intersection of related indicators by overlaying data to see if there are correlations (or lack thereof) to be explored.

This year, the Conditions of Children report examines the intersection of three measures: emergency department (ED) visits among teens because of self-harm; student self-reported chronic sadness; and school connectedness. This set of measures was, in part, selected in response to the increasing rate of suicide among Orange County youth. On average, over the past 10 years, 12.8 Orange County teens committed suicide each year. The annual 10-year average number of suicides among teen males is 9.5 suicide deaths and among females, 3.3 suicide deaths (10-19 year olds).

2014 and 2016 in Orange County, the sizable majority of teen ED visits for self-harm were by females, 74% (n=1,991), compared to males at 26% (n=705). Mostly females experienced the notable rise in the number of ED visits, the steepest increase from 439 in 2010 to 694 in 2014, while males’ number of ED visits were between 212 and 237 for those same years. While the actual number of children directly impacted by self-harming behavior and/or suicide may be small, the impact on that child, their family, their