Steelesmith Lab
Suicide rates are consistently higher in rural counties of the United States than urban counties. Factors driving these differences include isolation, poverty, unemployment, economic distress, access to lethal means etc. Research to understand how these different factors are contributing to suicide is a key component to suicide prevention at the macroscale.
The Steelesmith Lab focuses on rural and urban disparities in mental health services and outcomes, such as suicide and deaths of despair. This work is typically at the macro level, examining how communities and society in general can influence health disparities.
Current Research
This project compares suicide decedents based on national death certificate data to individuals completing the American Community Survey from 2007 through 2019. Individual variables include age, sex, race and ethnicity; contextual variables include area deprivation, social fragmentation, social capital, availability of healthcare providers, internet availability, and percentage of veterans in the county. Analyses are stratified by age, sex, race and ethnicity, and method of suicide to explore how factors associated with suicide vary across diverse groups.
This project aims to identify both individual and contextual level factors that are associated with suicide deaths within the rural counties of the United States.
This project was funded through a postdoctoral fellowship by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (PDF-0-130-18).
Inside the Steelesmith Lab
Featured Publications
Collaborate With Us!
Interested in collaborating with the Steelesmith Lab? Email us at Danielle.Steelesmith@NationwideChildrens.org to connect.
Meet Our Team
Danielle Steelesmith, PhD
Principal Investigator
Danielle.Steelesmith@NationwideChildrens.org
Danielle L. Steelesmith, PhD, is principal investigator in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her research focuses on geographic differences in mental health services and health disparities, with emphasis community and societal factors that contribute to these differences.
Dr. Steelesmith is a skilled data analyst. She has extensive experience in mental health services research, using “big data,” and merging data from multiple sources. She has published on the epidemiology of suicide in rural areas, contextual-level factors associated with county-level suicide rates and how associations vary across the rural/urban continuum. She also has an interest in deaths of despair and how these deaths vary by geography.
Dr. Steelesmith is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She received her bachelor’s degree from Campbellsville University and a master’s degree and doctorate in social work from The Ohio State University.
Rui Huang
Biostatistician
Rui.Huang@NationwideChildrens.org
Rui holds a bachelor of science degree in psychology and a master's degree in statistics, which have equipped her with the knowledge and skills to analyze and interpret complex mental health data. With a passion for utilizing statistical methods to gain insights into mental health trends, she strives to contribute to the field and improve patient outcomes.
Xueting Xia
Biostatistician
Xueting.Xia@NationwideChildrens.org
Xueting is a biostatistician in the Steelesmith Lab. She focuses on analyzing and interpreting large survey datasets as well as providing statistical analysis consultation.
Xueting received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Texas Tech University and master’s degree in statistics from The Ohio State University.
