Investigating Suicide Rates Across Demographic Subgroups in the Muslim American Community using Technical Frameworks

Suicide remains a leading global cause of death, and despite steadily increasing over the past two decades, its prevalence and underlying factors within the Muslim American community remain under-researched. While previous scholarship has highlighted mental health challenges faced by this group, particularly the role of stigma in underreporting, few studies have focused on suicide rates across demographic subgroups such as gender, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. This study bridges that gap by examining these variables alongside community belonging and acculturation to uncover patterns of suicide risk. Using the ColumbiaSuicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) (Posner et al., 2011) and qualitative methods guided by Charmaz’s grounded theory (2006) and Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis (2006), this paper explores how cultural, social, and religious dynamics influence suicide rates within Muslim American populations. The results suggest significant variation in suicide risk due to compounded factors such as stigma, isolation, immigration stress, and generational differences. Ultimately, this study underscores the importance of understanding the multifaceted nature of suicide within Muslim American subgroups to develop culturally sensitive interventions and improve mental health support systems.