Policy Priority: Disproportionately Affected Communities and Populations

The Canada Child Benefit frame is used to sample 12- to 17-year-olds; data from this frame are collected by telephone interview 40,41,42,43. Respondents’ data are collected by a combination of computer-assisted personal and telephone interview software. The 2017 and 2018 CCHS were not included because suicide-related questions were not asked in those years. The data were from the 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2020 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 40,41,42,43.

The US Center for Disease Control framework was used for grouping studies by strategy. Such efforts could reduce the likelihood of microaggressions and risk of stereotyping and stereotype threats that may negatively affect client outcomes following interventions. In addition, some studies using culturally adapted interventions based on empirical evidence have found null or inconsistent outcomes (e.g., Carroll et al. 2009), suggesting that other approaches are needed. However, given the vast heterogeneity of some minority groups (e.g., AI/AN) (Etz et al. 2012), some minority communities likely will reject existing interventions as culturally insensitive or not reflecting their beliefs and values (Whitbeck et al. 2012). In addition, empirically supported skills-based approaches seem helpful for certain subpopulations, with the caveat that the interventions may require appropriate cultural alignment of the intervention with the beliefs and traditions of the group being targeted.

suicide prevention for minority populations

These findings illustrate that disaggregation of ethnoracial subgroups and suicide outcomes data at the state level needs to include total numbers and percentages to portray an adequate representation. On the other hand, American Indian populations have the highest percentage of adolescents reporting suicide ideation (30.6%), and Pacific Islander has the highest percentage of adolescents reporting suicide planning (28.8%) and suicide attempts (29.6%). However, in examining sexual orientation and suicide ideation, gay and lesbian (OR 2.98; 95% CI 1.30, 6.84), bisexual (OR 6.28; 95% CI 2.85, 14.05), and adolescents selecting the unsure/questioning category (OR 3.04; 95% CI 1.48, 6.23) had higher odds in this category than heterosexual adolescents. Pertaining to changes over time, there was an overall decrease in the number of youth who responded with “yes” to STB for all racial/ethnic groups except Black and Multiracial adolescents. Demographic totals by race/ethnicity, sex, and sexual orientation high school YRBS North Carolina (1991–2019)

suicide prevention for minority populations

Suicide Risks with Depression, Anxiety and Co-occurring Depression/Anxiety

A systematic review of research on STB over 50 years found that existing articles were less likely to report race and ethnicity in addition to LGB status (Cha et al., 2018). Xiao et al. (2021) further explored temporal trends in STB among adolescents in the US based on sex and race/ethnicity. Findings indicated that Black adolescents, including girls and boys, had significant linear increases over time in suicide attempts.

Statistical Analysis

  • Cultural mistrust must be considered when designing suicide prevention initiatives for ethnic minority populations (Poussaint & Alexander, 2000).
  • Further, bisexual youth appeared to be less protected by parent-family connectedness.
  • This finding corresponds with extant literature on suicide outcomes regarding ethnicity and sex (Alvarez et al., 2022; Baiden et al., 2020; Sheftall et al., 2022).
  • • Evaluation and monitoring activities to assess progress towards health equity and elimination of racial disparities.
  • However, they were less likely to receive regular outpatient care after discharge, meaning their symptoms were more likely to last longer or recur.

For this study, these three questions were labeled suicide ideation, suicide planning, Drexel Latinx Cultural Identity Resources and suicide attempt in the dataset. Further, we extend the literature on the suicidal risk of ethnoracial youth by examining the intersection of their identities. In response to the need to disaggregate data on adolescent demographics to understand suicide outcomes, the current study analyzes STB data in North Carolina, a southeastern state, for high schoolers between 1991 and 2019. This dearth of research demonstrates the gaps in the study of suicide and intersecting identities.

National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Internet.

suicide prevention for minority populations

These stigma-related stressors are hypothesized to contribute to factors that increase risk for mental health concerns influenced by emotion dysregulation, social/interpersonal problems, and cognitive vulnerabilities, relative to heterosexual peers (e.g., Hatzenbuehler, 2009). Fourth, evaluation of reduction in suicidal behavior and other objective behavioral indicators (eg, mental health treatment referral rates) remains for future study. Indeed, Asians (person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent) are the ethnic group in the U.S. least likely to have a health care visit preceding a suicide attempt .

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